


Scrubs & Grease

by Piper1016



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-18 14:19:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 73,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7318648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piper1016/pseuds/Piper1016
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beth, a single mom.<br/>Daryl, a mechanic.<br/>What's not to like?<br/>Cliche Bethyl fluff intermixed with a bit of angst and intrigue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Dead Battery

**naSooooo I'm doing another rewrite of one of my earlier stories. I really liked it and hope you all do too.**

**Such cliche Bethyl fluff, intermixed with a tiny bit of angst and intrigue. If you read this before, no spoilers please! Thanks for giving it a whirl. :)**

* * *

Dead Battery

It wasn't easy. Working. Going to school. Life. Taking care of Madalyn was, of course, priority one. Since the day she was born eighteen months ago, Beth always put her first. Madalyn was the light of her life, her main goal was to give Madalyn the best life she was capable of. Some days were harder than others, however. And she often wondered if her best was enough. Some days she felt like a failure and questioned herself and her ability to raise a child on her own.

Beth did her best to make sure she spent quality time with Madalyn and her world revolved around her. But life, such as it were, was tough. Like today for instance. Madalyn had been up most of the night, making them both grumpy and tired this morning. Still, they had to get up and go. She had no fever, she was just a snotty drooly mess. Early 2-year molars or a cold, it was anyone's guess, but up bright and early and ready for the day they were knocking on the babysitter's door.

Beth was thankful for Patricia, retired veterinary tech/widow/next door neighbor, who watched Madalyn for a quarter of the price any day care would ask for. With Patricia, Madalyn got one on one attention filled with stories, playtime, and fort building. They often went on nature walks as well as trips to the park and the ice cream parlor. Patricia was like an honorary grandmother to Madalyn, treating her like one of her own grandchildren. Patricia's grandchildren often visited, giving Madalyn an occasional playmate. Yes, Patricia Taylor was a lifesaver.

When Beth first moved into the neighborhood she was forced to put Madalyn into low-income subsidy daycare. It was less than ideal with seventeen children, ranging from newborn through age two, with only two adults and one aide supervising. Not wanting to leave Madalyn at the daycare anymore than she absolutely had to, she refused to take more than a couple college courses at a time. Those being done online.

Patricia was the answer to Beth's prayers. An angel dropped straight from heaven right into her own backyard. Patricia had been watching her new neighbor across the street. A young mom with a beautiful little girl. Seeing her leaving early in the mornings and not returning till late, Beth looking harried and tired. Shortly after they moved in, Patricia approached them one afternoon as they played in the yard of the duplex Beth rented the upper half of. They hit it off. Even Madalyn, who was very reluctant of strangers, warmed right up to her.

Shortly after that afternoon, Patrica offered to babysit Madalyn for Beth. At first Beth had refused, not wanting to impose an her elderly neighbor, but Patrica all but insisted. Beth almost fell down with relief. Patricia only took the bare minimum of money, it probably going right back to Madalyn in some way or another through an ice cream cone here or a small toy there. Because of this Beth was able to quit one of her jobs and take classes at the actual college, not only online. It was a miracle, for sure.

A side benefit was that Patricia lived right next door. Her small blue bungalow of a house was visible from Beth's upper level apartment. Every morning she worked or had class Beth walked Madalyn across the street. Today was no different.

"She was up most of the night sniffilin'. Her nose was so stuffed she could hardly breath." Beth informed Patricia, handing her off through the back door. Madalyn went right to Patricia, snuggling her head into the older woman's shoulder. It warmed Beth's heart to see her daughter feel so safe with the older woman. She tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the stab of guilt that shot briefly through her heart.

"So, she's pretty grumpy. Sorry." Beth handed Patricia Madalyn's diaper bag.

Patricia held Madalyn on one shoulder and slung the bag over her other shoulder. "Don't you go apologizin' now. We all get grumpy, especially when we are sick. Isn't that right, Miss Madalyn?" She nuzzled the girl's fuzzy blonde hair. Beth folded her hands to fight the urge to pull Madalyn back for one last snuggle before she had to leave for school. Knowing exactly how soft her curly blonde hair felt and how it smelled of the all natural baby shampoo she used on it. Even today when it was in an unruly tangled mess after the sleepless night she had had, it would still feel as soft as down feathers.

Patricia's glance flowed over Beth's face and disheveled appearance. Hair pulled back in a messy bun, dark circles that rimmed her eyes. She had no energy and didn't care to take the time to apply any make-up. "Long night for Miss Madalyn, means long night for mama too."

Beth smiled weakly. "Well you know how it goes," she said by way of explanation. Patricia did indeed know having five children of her own.

"I have class till eleven then I work for the cleaning company this afternoon. I will be back around five. Hopefully."

"You are gonna' work yourself to death before you even hit your mid-twenties."

"Someday I will have a degree...then maybe I will be able to have one job instead of three."

"Uh-huh. Well try to eat a healthy lunch, at least. None of that McDonald's crap." Patricia reprimanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Beth said, kissing Madalyn on the cheek. "Bye baby, you be good for Patty." Madalyn lifted her head briefly off of Patricia shoulder and waved, her little hand flapping in the air.

"Call me if there is a problem," Beth fretted. It was never easy leaving Madalyn. Even though Patricia made it easier, Beth still found it difficult. Whether it was going to school or work, she felt horrible leaving her baby. She didn't have a life outside of work, school or Madalyn and that was fine with Beth. That's just the way it had to be.

"Go on now, everything is under control here." Patricia reassured.

Days like this Beth ached to stay at home in her pajamas snuggling and take care of Madalyn. As her mother it was her job. One that she took seriously. And when she had to leave her baby girl, even with someone as fitting as Patricia, it made her feel like a failure. Giving Madalyn one last kiss, she quickly shut the screen door and made her way back across the street and to her car parked behind her apartment.

. . .

Nursing school was the most difficult choice Beth ever chose to inflict on herself. Having to take half a class load a semester, instead of the full amount, made it drag on even longer. In high school she was able to earn college credit and receive her associate's degree before graduation. That left two years of nursing school. The end was tantalizingly close; she had less than one year to go.

And she was ready to be done. The time spent at school, away from Madalyn, went at a snail's pace. She took the courses she could on-line, freeing up time to spend with Madalyn or working, but the majority of classes, unfortunately, had to be spent in the classroom or in clinicals. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy school, because she did. The extenuating circumstances of her life made it difficult.

It was hard work, to say the least. She knew that one day she and Madalyn would reap the benefits of her hard work. As of now, though, after spending three hours in class, she was on her way to one of her jobs. Cleaning other peoples mini-mansions.

. . .

 _My whole bedroom could fit in this bathroom, with space to spare_ , Beth thought to herself. She turned on the shower and rinsed the soap-scum down the drain, taking a second to rest her arms on the lip of the jet-powered tub. Metallica blared through the buds in her ears, connected to an ancient second hand iPhone in her back pocket. She could almost hear her mother's voice from when she was young yelling at her to turn it down. Old habits die hard, she supposed. The blaring music made the back-breaking work easier somehow.

The house was one of the three she cleaned regularly during the week. It was kept up by the everyday help, still, it needed to be dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed and swept. Thankfully the laundry was handled by a laundry service. She only had this bathroom, out of four total, left to finish up and then she could pick up Madalyn, an hour ahead of schedule and head home. Beth looked forward to a quiet, calm evening, just her and Madalyn.

Outside, the sun beat down on her shoulders, making the sweat thicker on her brow. After that morning's clinical Beth traded her scrubs for a spaghetti strapped tank-top that had seen better days several years ago and a pair of cut off jean shorts fraying mid-thigh. Even when the amount of skin that was exposed, it was no match against the Georgia heat. By the time she got behind the wheel of her used 1999 GMC Jimmy, her tank clung to her body uncomfortably. The only thing that worked correctly on that car was the air conditioning and for that she was eternally grateful. She inserted the key to the ignition and turned it over, but nothing happened.

"No. No don't do this to me, Jimmy," she spoke to the car by its pet name. "Not today." Her visions of a quiet evening at home evaporated like rain on the heated pavement.

She tried to crank it once more. Again, nothing. Just a click, click, click sound.

"No." She slammed her hand on the steering wheel then rested her head on top of her hands. "I shoulda' known better than to think I'd get home an hour early. Damn it!" Instead of sounding mad, it was the sound of defeat.

Resigned, she climbed out of the car, the heat more stifling than just a few minutes before, if that were possible. She went to the back and popped the rear window open, grabbing the jumper cables out of the trunk. As she walked past the still open driver's side door she reached in, pulled the hood release.

Beth knew exactly what was wrong. Dead battery.

It had happened half a dozen times in the last month or so. She knew how to remedy the problem. Get a new battery. However, she did not have the extra cash right now to purchase one. Slowly she had been saving a little from her tips at the diner and she almost had enough. But not quite yet, having to wait another week or even two to have enough money to buy one.

Propping the hood up on the pole, placing the jumper cables on top of the around the high class neighborhood with its perfect tiny lawns and paved sidewalks, no one was outside. No one was home at the monstrosity of a house she just cleaned either.

"Crap!"

Beth fished out her cell phone from her pocket to call Patricia. She was fifteen miles out of the way, but who else did she have to call? She had friends, sure. No one close enough to inconvenience in this way. She thought briefly of calling her sister, Maggie, deciding just as quickly not too. She lived in the next town over, about a half hour away. She would not able to come rescue her sister. Beth sighed. When did my closest friend become a sixty-six year old retiree?

In all honesty, Beth didn't have time for friends. She had acquaintances, a couple of fellow students at the college. She had Patricia. She had her sister. When you were a 21 year old single mom, that didn't leave much time for socialization.

Scrolling through her contacts, which was depressingly small, she found Patricia number, she stopped short of pushing the call button when she heard a car, no a truck, pull up next to her car. To be exact, a beat up grey and blue 1973 Ford F-250. The man at the driver's side leaned out the window sporting short, dark messy hair and, most noticeably, clear blue eyes. His chiseled face was covered in stubble and his muscled arm was smeared with grease.

 _A damsel in distress_ , he thought, as he slowed. Going around construction that riddled the main road with cones and slower speeds, detouring through a neighborhood of hugeass houses, maybe wasn't such a bad idea. The blonde, with long legs tucked into short jean cut-offs, was looking at her phone. The color of frustration high on her cheekbones. Lifting her face from her phone, she scowled either at the sun or the strange man in the beat up ol' pick-up truck that pulled up alongside her.

"Troubles?" he asked without preamble in a deep Georgian drawl.

"Uh..." His voice, that one word, did something to her. Not able to pinpoint exactly what that feeling was, it crept under her skin giving her goosebumps, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She stammered… "Yes, my batteries dead. I need a jump."

Unable to help himself, he smirked. "I'll gladly give ya' a jump." Neither of the two missing the double entendre. Peering at her through those eyes, she felt thoroughly looked over.

In spite of herself, she felt a shiver climb up her backbone. It had been so long since she caught the eye of a man (or boy, which was the case, most of the time) she couldn't remember when the last time was. Probably Gareth. He would most definitely fall under the boy category. It's not as though she had time to pay attention to such things, anyhow. Boys or men. Or strangers with piercing blue eyes. Besides, with the messy appearance she kept most of the time, she found it comical to think anyone would be interested.

But...who does this guy think he is. Looking at me like that? She stood straighter. Coming back to her senses, all business now. "I would greatly appreciate that, thank you."

Nodding, he pushed open his door and unfolded his long, lean body. Muscled biceps rippled with every movement in his sleeveless navy blue work shirt. Grimes Auto Repair was written in white lettering over the right breast pocket. Underneath it was what she assumed to be his name; Daryl.

Reaching past her, forcing her to step back or risk his brushing up against her, he reached into her car and tried to turn over the ignition himself. Nothing but the now familiar sounding click, click, click.

"Dead battery," he mumbled under his breath.

"That's what I said," she told him, irrational irritation spiked at her nerves. Why she was irritated, Beth was unsure. She refused to think it had anything to do with this strange attraction she felt for this complete stranger and more to do with the car problems.

He either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her as he climbed back into his truck. Deftly backing it up, he parked it in front of her car. He popped his own hood, got back out, easily hooked up the jumper cables to his still running truck, hardly flinching when the cable sparked a bit, and then hooking it up to her car battery. A cigarette dangled from his lips, his eyes squinting at the smoke.

"Give it a crank," he spoke over the smoke and engine. Beth got back behind the wheel and after two tries the engine came to life. She smiled her relief. It would seem she'd get home to Madalyn a tiny bit early afterall.

He unhooked the cables and slammed both hoods closed before rounding the GMC and handing them back over to her. His fingers brushing hers. Beth ignored the vibration that ran up her arm. She wasn't naive enough to believe in love at first sight. She did, however, believe in strong attraction at first sight. And this was all this was. Attraction. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Thank you," she said again, meaning it this time. He saved her a lot of time and grief.

"Ain't nothin," was in his only response.

"Well then..." She should probably offer some sort of reimbursement for his time. Slip him a five, or something. She simply had nothing to give him but her thanks. With that, Beth turned and got back into her car, tossing the cables onto the passenger side floor mat.

Surprising her, he shut the door for her and leaned on the open window frame. "If that battery gives you any more trouble, stop over to Grimes, we'll fix ya' up with a new one."

She nodded, "Sure. I will keep that in mind. Thanks again." Everyone knew where Grimes was located. It was the most formidable mechanics' garage in town. Everyone went there at one time or another if they owned a vehicle of some sort.

Conversation over, he lingered. _Just go ahead and ask her her name, she's just a girl. A beautiful girl. A girl nonetheless._ _How you gonna' meet anyone if you can't even ask a girl her name!_ The past year, hell, the past few years, had put him in a very low place. Never one to think too deeply, he found himself thinking all the time. Brooding, actually. Mostly about what a mess up he was in general, and how he fucked up his life.

And now, from the first second he laid eyes on this woman's face, his soul seemed to lift. It was the first time in many a day he noticed the sun, the clouds, the God forsaken birds chirping. It was like he had been living in a bubble of beige, and she popped it with a simple glance up from her phone.

But, that was all a bit of a stretch, wasn't it? All's it took was one girl, five minutes, and he was cured of his year long melancholy? He didn't think so.

The words of his friend Tyrese rang in his head, _"You jus' need to quit being so damn shy."_ Though, he knew, shyness was only half the problem. _"You're a good guy. Gainfully employed. Not too butt-ass ugly. Any girl be lucky to have you."_

He always rebuffed his friends words, hating the blush of embarrassment that would inevitably creep up his neck. He also declined his friends attempts to set him up with his cousin. Or his neighbor. Or his neighbor's cousin. Anyone. Ever since Tyreese got married he was hell-bent on finding everyone else a mate.

He opened his mouth to ask her name, instead he casually slapped the door frame with his hand and backed up so she could leave. _Chickenshit._ This time in his own voice, not Tyreese's.

Feeling a strange pull to him that she did not want to understand, she didn't waste any time. Not waiting for him to move his truck, she put the Jimmy in reverse and drove around his truck and on down the road. Watching him in her rearview mirror, standing in the middle of the road one hand cocked on his hip, cigarette burning in between his fingers, his bottom lip pulled into his mouth, chewing. A look that can only be described as disappointment on his face.

* * *

Beth was relieved to see Madelyn was feeling much better when she picked her up from Patricia's. She was her normal happy-go-lucky little girl self, except for the runny nose. At home Beth made her home-made chicken noodle soup and they both were in their PJ's by 5:30. It would be an early night, Beth thought gratefully. Her day wasn't necessarily bad, barring the dead batter, it was just long, and she was ready for it to be over.

Daryl, the mysterious man that had jumped her car for her, unconsciously kept drifting in and out of her thoughts. His slow drawl, those eyes, the cheek bones. Minus the comment about giving her a jump, which now she could admit was rather humorous, he had a kind quiet way about him.

He was obviously a hard worker if his hands had anything to tell about that. His calloused fingertips rubbed against her hand appealingly. Expansive shoulders sloped down to muscled biceps. His eyes, how would she even begin describe the color of his eyes...

A splash of water brought her back to reality The pot she was washing slid out if her hands and splashed into the sink full of sudsy water.

"Oh, this is ridiculous." He was just a man. "You don't have time for this, Beth," she lectured herself.

She was much too busy to day dream about hunky mechanics. Besides the two online courses she took, on Tuesday's and Thursday's she had class in the morning. Then, depending on the day of the week, she either worked at the Diner or cleaning houses for a local cleaning company.

On Wednesday's she didn't have class and cleaned only one house. Because it was only one house of smaller size, she was able to bring Madalyn with her. She spent the rest of the day catching up on her own housekeeping, laundry and playing with Madalyn. Fridays she had no classes also, but worked the afternoon and dinner shift at the diner. Her shift starting at eleven and going till close. It was the only day she worked past Madalyn's bed time. They tried having Patricia babysit at Beth's apartment so Madalyn could go to sleep in her own bed, but that left Patricia having to go back to her own house well past her own bedtime. It was decided it was best to leave Madalyn at Patricia's on Friday nights. There she had her own bedroom, normally reserved for Patricia's grandchildren on the occasion they spent the night. It worked and Madalyn seemed to have no qualms about spending the night at Patricia's. Patricia would bring her back bright and early and have coffee with Beth. It worked out well. She absolutely hated not tucking Madalyn in herself, the tips from waitressing helped cover a lot of their extra expenses.

Saturdays and Sundays were Beth and Madalyn's days together, as well as Beth's time to study and play catch up. Her days were filled, for sure. She tried to remain focused and looked at it as an investment in their future, looking forward to the day when she could maybe, just maybe, have one job.

A man did not configure into her plans.

Yet, here she was late at night doing dishes. By herself. No one to talk to. To go over the day with. No one to share her evening with. Madalyn fast asleep, and her trying to find things to do; laundry, dishes, dusting - though she had nothing really worth dusting, because she knows if she goes to bed now, sleep would evade her. Lying awake, a dull ache thudding in her hollow chest.

Most of her days, Beth was able to shrug off that feeling, being so busy she barely had time to breathe, let alone think. And Madalyn was there. She kept her mind busy. At night, though, it was more difficult to hide away from that feeling. And it wasn't that she was sad or depressed. She just felt empty. It was that she had no one to lean on, no one to share lifes burdens with. Someone to help and hold her. Someone to stand by her side.

This disconnect weighed heavily on her, but she felt there was nothing she could do about it. What was she going to do? Leave Madalyn and go out to the bar? Try to get laid? No, that wasn't her style at all.

Ultimately, it was better to be alone than to have someone who doesn't really care. She had experienced that before and that hurt more than not having someone. She had Madalyn, and that's all she needed at that moment.

* * *

**So what do you think? Should I keep going? Thanks so much for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Scrubs & Grease

**Thanks for the positive feedback and wonderful comments. Keep them coming! Hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

 

"So, who was the girl you helped the other day? The dead battery." Daryl had his head upturned working on a car that sat up on the lift. Rick, his boss and friend, seemed hell-bent on getting some information out of him. As if there were any information to give.

Daryl pretended to be in deep concentration replacing a lug-nut. "Huh?"

"The girl. You were late coming back after your run to the parts store? You said you helped a girl with a dead battery." Rick leaned against the workbench that ran along the wall. Kicking his legs out, crossing his ankles.

"Uh-huh."

A smirk played across Rick's mouth. Amused. Daryl had worked for Rick going on five years and he knew him for years before that. _Who did Daryl think he was fooling?_ Rick saw the tell-tale blush creeping up Daryl's neck, his uncomfortable stance. Rick knew Daryl knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Damn Tyreese." Daryl said under his breath, "Gossips like an old woman."

Daryl had only mentioned that he'd helped a girl out, but Tyreese could read him as easily as Rick did. Daryl wasn't the type to just offer up information, keeping quiet the majority of the time. He, for a reason he couldn't quite comprehend, felt compelled to tell someone, anyone, about the blonde angel with car trouble.

"Yea, I did. So what? It was days ago. What the fuck does it matter now?"

Rick grinned, crossing his arms over his uniform shirt. He was the boss-man but wore the same work shirts and pants the employee's did. Solidarity and such. Rick was a good guy, if not a little nosey apparently. Always willing to give someone a job, and if they proved their worth as a mechanic then he kept them on. Hiring Daryl was no mistake. He was good at his job. Showed up on time. Stayed late if need be. Always willing to lend a hand and pick up slack. Rick saw through the tough guy exterior that Daryl personified. Wasn't put off by Daryl's cantankerous attitude, he knew better than to take it personally.

"It doesn't matter. Tyreese jus' said she left quite an impression on you."

Daryl made a noncommittal sound. "Whatever man. Hand me that monkey wrench, will ya'?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Holding his hand out expectantly, avoiding eye contact.

"Why ya' gettin' so pissed about it?" Rick couldn't help but jab as he handed over the wrench.

"Would ya' just shut up already? Dontcha got some work to do instead 'a buggin' me all damn day..." Daryl ranted. Rick laughed. Daryl was only kidding, well partly anyway.

"Didya' tell her to come here if she needs a new battery?" Rick questioned.

"What the fuck am I now? Your advertising campaign? Of course I did." He didn't want her going anywhere else. "Now, get the hell outta' here, go do some "boss" work or somethin' so I can get back to work." Daryl sneered, tossing a loose screw at Rick's back as he walked off to the office.

Any other employee could never talk that way to his boss, but he and Rick were different. They went way back. Growing up together. Daryl grew up in a shack on the "wrong side of town" with a drunk for a dad and Rick grew up in a pleasant neighborhood with loving parents. They were closer than brothers. When Rick gave Daryl a job Daryl told him he wouldn't kiss ass, and Rick wouldn't have it any other way. Their friendship, so far, had survived working together.

Once Rick left him alone to do his work, his mind drifted back to the blonde with battery trouble. All Rick's fault, of course. If he hadn't brought her up, then he wouldn't be thinking about her at all.

Well. That was a big fat lie, as she had entered his mind every fifth minute since the day he helped her. He'd keep telling himself that lie still. He was much more comfortable living with a lie rather than the truth. The truth meant he couldn't stop thinking about her. She, for some reason, got under his skin, got stuck in his mind, even though he knew so little about her that he didn't even know her name.

* * *

Beth woke to the sound of Madalyn babbling in her crib. No matter how badly she slept, which was often, the sound of Madalyn's baby gibberish always put her in the best of moods. Beth threw back her covers and shuffled across the hall to Madalyn's bedroom.

The bedroom was no bigger than some of the closets in the houses she cleaned for. A second hand crib sat along the farthest wall, a small dresser was along the other wall. Those two objects pretty much filled the room. Beth reassured herself on a regular basis a child didn't need a large bedroom or lots of toys to make them happy. They needed love and attention. Affection from their parents, or parent as was with this case. Beth hoped she wasn't roally messing up her daughter's life. It wasn't fair to Madalyn that she had one parent, barely making it.

Some days she felt like a failure, but then she peaked her head into her daughter's room and her world was right again.

"Hey baby girl." Madalyn stood, pulling herself up on the railing.

"Mamamama." That was about all Madalyn's vocabulary consisted of at the moment. The doctor assured Beth it was perfectly fine, that she will catch up one day and then she will wish she had these quieter days back again. Beth already dreaded Madalyn growing older, getting bigger. No longer needing Beth as much. One day asking questions Beth wasn't sure she could ever be prepared to answer.

Beth lifted Madalyn up and over the railing of the crib, looking at her blonde hair a mess of tangles, so much like her own. Her face the same shape, the same porcelain skin tone. Like mother, like daughter in so many ways. Except one. Madalyn's eyes were nothing like Beth's. Instead of blue they were dark, as dark as they could be and yet still be considered brown. They were beautiful and so much like Gareth's. Not a day went by that Beth didn't wonder how someone she loved so much could have such a striking resemblance to someone she so despised.

Shaking off the sour mood that was looming over her, Beth asked, "Want some breakfast?" Nuzzling her neck, breathing in the wonderful baby smell that was fading away with everyday as she grew. Madalyn smacked her lips, something she did when she was hungry since she was a tiny baby.

Taking that for a yes, she said, "Okay, let's get some breakfast."

. . .

Beth filled Patricia in on the day's plans, where she was working, when she planned to be back to pick up Madalyn, "I might be a few minutes late. I've finally saved up enough for a new car battery. I'm going to stop off at Grimes today and get a new one." Beth was excited at the prospect of the new battery. Life as an adult was funny that way. Reliable transportation was important, Beth supposed. Where did the easy days go? Her own easy days, if she ever really had any, had ended as soon as the pregnancy test stick turned pink.

It had taken Beth almost two weeks to save up for that car battery, just like she thought. Thanks to a good tip from a loyal customer, she finally had enough. The day before, as she was clearing up a regular's dirty dishes, an elderly man named Dale. She found the normal one dollar bills crumpled up sticking out from the bottom of his plate. As she took the dollars from the plate, straightening them to fold and place them in her apron she noticed the fifty dollar bill amongst the ones.

Dale was almost out the door, his hand on the push bar. "Wait! Dale, " She called to stop him. "You must of left this by accident." Beth jogged over to him, holding out the money.

"Oh no, sweetheart. That's yours."

"Dale, ya' know I can't keep this." It was more than five times the amount of his bill.

"Yes, you can." Dale was the sweetest old man, with big bushy white eyebrows and unruly white hair to match that he hid under a blue cap. "Buy yourself somethin' nice." And with that he was out the door and down the street waving to owner of the hardware store.

Almost moved to tears, Beth shoved the money into her apron. She _would_ buy something nice. A car battery.

And today was the day she was able to purchase it. She was excited at the prospect of a new battery. 

. . .

Using her lunch break, or the time in between class and her job, meaning she was skipping lunch completely, Beth pulled into the Grime's Auto Service lot and found a spot to park. The heat was stifling, as it always in the afternoon Georgia sun. Hurrying to the entrance, the bell on the door jingled as Beth entered the office portion of the garage. A gust of wonderful cold air hit her in the face.

There was nothing notable about the small room. Pea green linoleum tile. A counter separated the back office from the waiting area. A bench with a fake leather cushion lined the front window, fuzz coming up from a hole in the seam. A television was mounted in the far corner of the room, tuned to some sort of racing on ESPN. Beth only had to wait a moment before a man came out of the office in the back and sauntered up to the counter. Beth decided that was the best way to describe his walk. A saunter.

"Help ya?" he asked. He was tall, rangy. His chestnut hair was pushed back off his face and had streaks of grey running through it, giving him a wise, handsome look. His work shirt claimed him to be Rick. She had heard plenty about Rick Grimes over the years, but never actually met him.

"Yes, I need a new battery. Mine keeps going dead on me."

Rick's head snapped up, Beth was unsure why. His look was still friendly, just a bit amused.

Rick examined the girl before him. Blonde, even though she was wearing scrubs, it was notable she had legs up the sky. Battery trouble. _This had to be Daryl's girl._ He chuckled.

Beth smiled politely, his good humored laugh was contagious. "What?" She asked, shyly.

"Oh, nothing. Nothin' at all." Rick smiled handsomely. "You jus' livened up a dull day, is all."

His smiling broadening, he drawled, "But yeah, we can do that for you. What's your car's make and model, I can see if we have a battery in stock."

After Beth relayed the information he needed, Rick disappeared into a door leading to the garage. She stood at the counter, waiting patiently in the air conditioning. Trying her hardest to not let her eyes roam toward the open shop door. _Was he here? Would he remember her?_

 _Stop it, right now. You are not some foolish teenager with a crush on a boy_. Though, Beth was afraid that's exactly what she was. Her heart sped up just at the prospect of seeing her mystery man again.

Rick was back quick enough, thankfully interrupting her thoughts. "You're in luck, we have a battery. If you have a few minutes I'll have one of my guys install it for ya."

"That'd be great, thanks."

"No problem, just pull on into bay two." There was that grin again.

In her car Beth followed Rick's directions and pulled her car into what she hoped was the correct door. And there Daryl stood, wearing exactly what he wore the other day, motioning her to drive further up, then palm out motioning her to stop once she reached the end of the ramp. Their eyes met through the dusty windshield, his giving nothing away. A slightest recognition, but that's it. Whether he was happy to see her again or not, she was not sure.

If she wasn't mistaking a red flush crawled up his neck as she climbed out of her car and walked to him. To her right she heard someone belt out a laugh and when she turned her attention to the sound a tall black man, wearing a stocking cap (in eighty degree weather) put his hand over his mouth and turned away facing Rick who also seemed entertained.

 _What on earth?_ Beth wondered before she returned her attention back to Daryl. He stood there, not saying a word.

Well. This was becoming awkward.

"Umm, Rick said you'd put my new battery in?"

He nodded. _Say something!_ He never thought he'd see her again, yet here she was, a vision, standing right in front of him. This time wearing scrubs a doctor or nurse would wear. Seeing her so fully clothed made him want to find out what was underneath them even more. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She was not wearing any make-up again. He liked that about her. Too many girls caked it on, it made them look off color, almost sick. No words would come out of his mouth. The fact they had a small audience of Tyreese and Rick did not help matters any. _Shit. Shit. Shit_. He was majorly blowing this.

"Well okay then. I will be in the office, let me know when you are done. Grunt or somethin'," she quipped, and turning on her heal, she walked past a still snickering Tyreese and Rick, into the office.

"Aw whats a matter, Daryl? Cat gotch your tongue?" Tyreese jabbed.

"Shut up, Tyreese." Daryl replied, wondering why exactly he was friends with him.

Tyreese took no offense and only laughed louder.

Ten minutes later Daryl came into the office carrying what she assumed to be her old battery, setting it on the counter with a thud.

"This here was your problem." He'd apparently found his voice. That gravelly deep voice that made her feel things in her belly she wasn't sure she ever had felt before, though he was only talking about a car battery. Wanting to laugh at her own ridiculousness, she forced herself to at least seem interested in what he said about it.

He lifted a cable that looked like a mouse had chewed on it. "Corroded wires. Sometimes you can clean them, but these are too far gone. You're lucky they didn't spark a fire."

"Oh," she said, for lack of anything better to say. "That'd be bad." _Duh!_ Now it was her cheeks that reddened.

"You're all set now. Should run fine." After settling the bill, which was much cheaper than she anticipated, she thanked him and made her way to the door.

"Hey wait," Daryl called to her. Hand on the door handle, she turned back. How anyone could look so good in a basic mechanics uniform shirt and pants and work boots, she did not know. But there he stood. Tall, manly, with a grease stain on his cheek that she wanted desperately to wipe away just so she could touch him. Beth balled her hands into fists to fight off the temptation.

He took a card from a holder on the counter, taking a pen from his pocket, he wrote something on the card.

"If there is a problem, you can give me a call." He handed her a business card for Grimes Auto Repair with his cell phone number that he had scribbled on the back. "Anytime." She smiled up at him as the adorable redness inched up his neck again. "I, uh, don't know your name."

"Beth," she filled in whether he was asking for it or not. "My name is Beth."

"Beth," he repeated.

And she was pretty sure she melted into a puddle at their feet.

Taking the card from him. This time allowing her fingers to brush by his, she said, "Thanks. A lot."

He reached around her and pushed open the door. She smiled a thousand watt smile before walking out into the heat. And she might of given him just the tiniest little wink. So quick and innocent, he'd probably second guess if he even saw it in the first place.

On her way home, she still wore a smile from her little encounter with Daryl. Her cell phone began to buzz in her purse in the passenger side seat. Driving with one hand, digging in her bag with the other, she retrieved it and saw Maggie's name flash across the screen.

Swiping her thumb across the screen, she greeted her sister. "Hey Mag. What's up?"

Without preamble, Maggie went into a long winded conversation about her wanting Beth and Madalyn to come over to their house for a party of some sort. She sometimes found it hard to follow her. It used to annoy Beth how Maggie would talk and talk at her, instead of _to_ her. Now, she was much better at listening to Beth, not just talking to her. Time changes everything, Beth supposed.

"Come on, Beth. You need to have a little fun." Maggie spoke through the cell phone into Beth's ear. "Bring my beautiful niece, who I haven't seen in over a month, by the way." Oh, she was laying the guilt on thick. "And we'll have a good time," she reassured.

"I don't know. Who did you say would be there?"

Maggie and Glenn, her new brother-in-law, were having a housewarming party and wanted Beth to come. She hated social situations, never knew what to say or how to act. She did fine with a handful of people, but more than that and she kind of froze. People seemed shocked she didn't act like a normal twenty-something. Then again she did not feel like an average twenty-something. She felt and acted much older. It would seem she forgot how to have a good time that didn't consist of stringed beans and early bedtimes.

"Oh, I don't know exactly who. It's just a cookout. Very informal. No big deal."

Yeah, no big deal, Beth told herself.

Beth missed her sister and Glenn. Since they were married and moved away, and with all of their crazy busy lives, she hardly got to see them. It would be good to see them as well as their new house, so Beth relented.

"Okay, sure. We will be there Saturday, bright and early. We'll help ya'll get ready."

"Great! I miss you two so much, I can't wait."

"Me too."

Beth ended the call as she pulled into her driveway. Feeling light-hearted at the prospect of seeing Maggie and Glenn this weekend, she walked across the road to retrieve Madalyn from Patricia's house.

* * *

"Come on man, it'll be fun. Gotta get out. Occasionally, be among the living. You can't keep living like a hermit up at that cabin of yours." Tyreese nagged Daryl after work.

Seeing Beth gave Daryl a little extra energy. Added a little skip to his step. Well, not literally. He definitely felt less moody, though. He even had a bit more patience for Tyreese's jabbering. Daryl leaned against the hood of his truck, enjoying a smoke, while Tyreese stood on the other side.

"I like my cabin." Daryl mumbled. Off-topic but he did love his cabin. A small two bedroom log cabin surrounded by nature, a fifteen minute drive from town. No close neighbors. His idea of perfection.

"That's besides the point. Come on out to Glenn's with me and Karen. It'll be fun."

"Na, I don't even know Glenn that well." Glenn was Tyreese's friend from Michigan. Somehow they both ended up in Georgia and reconnected some years ago. Through Tyreese's recommendation, Glenn had gotten a job garage for a short while before going to work somewhere else. Daryl didn't know where. He hadn't seen him in months. In his happier disposition of the day, he supposed it would be good to see him again. To get out among the living as Tyreese put it.

"Rick and Lori are going, they are bringing their kids. Come on man, you got to get back in the saddle. Andrea isn't the last woman out there, ya' know."

The mere mention of his ex-wife made his hackles rise.

"Ty, why you gotta nag me so damn much? Your 'bout as bad as my ex-wife." Daryl joked.

"Someone's gotta do it." Tyreese replied around a laugh.

* * *

Saturday morning came and as promised Beth and Madalyn were on Maggie's back door-step bright and early. Their new house was a beautiful old four bedroom farmhouse with lots of history and plenty of space. It was perfect for Glenn and Maggie to begin their life together as a married couple.

"There she is!" Maggie said, as she opened the door. She snatched Madalyn out of Beth's arms, hugging her tightly.

"I guess I'm chopped liver." Beth teased.

"Maybe second fiddle but definitely not chopped liver." Maggie reached out and hugged her sister with her free arm, pulling her through the doorway.

"It's so good to see you two. I've missed you so much." Maggie said, and if Beth wasn't mistaking she saw tears in her eyes. Maggie usually hid her emotions pretty well so this confused and worried Beth.

"Hey now, what's this?" She asked, brushing a tear from her sister's cheek.

"Oh nothing, I'm just happy. Tired from work, but happy." Maggie worked third shift as a paramedic.

Just as she was going to inquire further Glenn came into the kitchen. She let it go, for now.

"If it's not my favorite sister-in-law." A long standing joke, even before he and Maggie were married. Glenn had five sisters, no brothers, and it was just Beth and Maggie so no other sister-in-laws for Glenn, making her his favorite by default.

"I'm your only sister-in-law," Beth started, playing along. She hugged him briefly before he walked over to where Maggie held Madalyn. Glenn and Madalyn were both still very unsure of each other so he only reached out and rubbed her lightly with his finger under the chin.

"What's up Madalyn? Do you like me yet?" For an answer she buried her head in Maggie's neck. Maggie and Glenn exchanged a brief look before turning to Beth.

"Well Glenn, you can get ready for the party, right? Beth, Madalyn and I are going to have a little girl time this morning."

"We are?" Beth thought she came early to help prepare for the party.

"Yep, there is a great boutique, just opened downtown. I've been wanting to check it out. Just haven't had the chance. And, you sister, I'm sure could use something new to wear for the party."


	3. Chapter 3 - Time Passes

**Thank you all so much for reading/commenting. :) Lots of info in this chapter. I'll try to get the next one up soon.**

* * *

 

 

Beth, Madalyn and Maggie squeezed into a tiny dressing room, a stack of clothes hanging on a hook on the door. The boutique was beautiful and had great clothes and accessories, but it was way over Beth's Wal-Mart budget. It was still fun to try on the clothes and pretend for two seconds she could actually afford new clothes. And pretend she actually had anyplace to wear them anyhow. Spending time with Maggie and Madalyn was the most fun she had had in a very long time. Sometimes she had to remind herself to remember to have fun. Easily getting caught up in the busyness of day to day life, she often had trouble just letting her hair down, so to speak.

"That looks amazing on you." Maggie told Beth as she stood in front of the full length mirror. Beth was surprised to find out it did, indeed, look great on. The spaghetti strap, ankle length maxi dress with pink and white stripes hugged her body in just the right places and flowed just right in other places.

"It's not too, you know, tight?" Beth asked Maggie, gesturing toward her chest.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "No, it's not. You need to learn to live a little."

"I have lived a little and she is the product of that." Beth laughed, motioning toward Madalyn who sat on a little bench in the corner of the dressing room. Perfectly content to play with a strand of plastic pearls.

Maggie snorted. "More like, you let your guard down. Once." Maggie looked at her sister through the mirror, then said, "Have you heard from jackass at all?"

"Gareth?"

"Jackass. Gareth. Whatever."

"No." Beth said simply.

"You should take his ass to court. Make him pay child support. He should be in jail for what he did to you."

Not wanting to revisit the past or get into another argument with her sister, she changed the subject and pointedly said, "That top looks really nice on you, Maggie,"

Maggie got the hint and looked at the strapless halter top she wore. The same color as her eyes. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, turning halfway to the right, then to the left, she agreed. "It does, don't it?" Then she looked at Beth an excited twinkle in her eye. "That's it. We are buying them!"

"Maggie I can't afford this. It was fun to try on and everything, but..." Beth pulled the fabric up over her head, standing in her bra and underwear, hanging it back up on its hanger.

"My treat!"

"No. You can't do that."

"And why can't I? Maggie asked incredulously. "I can and I will. No arguments!"

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Beth looked at the dress then to Maggie. "Well...arguing is kind of our thing." Smiling weakly.

Maggie took the dress from her hands and pulled her sister close into a hug. "Let me do this, okay?" It was more of plea than a question. Did Beth hear tears in Maggie's voice.

Since her sister seemed so sure about it and it had been forever since she had gotten new dress - or anything new for that matter, Beth reluctantly agreed. "Sure, thanks Mag."

. . .

The rest of the day was spent with party preparations. Madalyn slept through most of it on the living room couch, that child could sleep through just about anything, while Beth helped wherever needed. Cooking, cleaning. Moving tables and chairs.

"Just how many people you expecting?" Beth asked Glenn when they were placing chairs around the tables they had set up outside under a huge Oak tree.

"Oh, thirty tops."

 _So much for a small get together,_ Beth thought. If all else fails she could escape early claiming the need to put Madalyn down to sleep and then -oops- falling asleep herself. Parties, social gatherings, whatever you wanted to called it, just wasn't her thing. Once people found out she was a single mom at the age of 21 they treated her differently. Some people were just down right rude, others were too nosey. And, yes, that had more to do with the person than herself, but it was still hard to be so needlessly judged. She could handle herself against mean or judgmental people if she had to, she just preferred to avoid it all together.

After the chairs were set out Beth said, "If that is all I think I will grab a quick shower and get ready before Madalyn wakes up."

"Yea, sure. Sounds good." Glenn answered distractedly.

 _What was going on?_ Beth wondered. Maggie being emotional, Glenn, who was normally very attentive to anyone he spoke to was wandering, almost floating aimlessly, around from one thing to another, seemingly lost in his own little world.

Beth stopped abruptly, hand on the back door handle when the thought struck her. _Maggie's pregnant!_

She couldn't be sure if her instincts were correct, still a sliver of joy jumped in her heart just the same. Maggie said nothing about trying to conceive in their numerous phone calls since the wedding. Reasoning, it was rather personal and some people didn't talk about those types of things. Maggie had never seemed like one of those people. Usually what she thought in her head came out of her mouth, especially where she and Beth was concerned. They told each other pretty much everything now.

Unless, or course, it was unplanned. Beth's mood suddenly turned. Thinking of her own unplanned pregnancy just eighteen months ago. This is a total different situation, though. Maggie is married to a great guy. She has her degree and is gainfully employed. Glenn was also employed at the steel factory where he worked his way up from grinding steal on third shift and was now a supervisor. They owned a house. Any children they choose to have, now or in the future, will be one lucky kid.

. . .

Beth stood in front of the mirror that hung on the back of the door of the spare room she and Madalyn overtook for their weekend visit. Madalyn, awake and cheery, sat on the bed, playing with a doll looking adorable in her little summer party dress, also courtesy of Maggie.

Staring at her own reflection, Beth felt self-conscious in a dress. She didn't remember it being this low cut at the store. It was so different from the scrubs or tank tops she normally wore. Maggie would have a fit if she chose not to wear it, and it was already on so she was committed to it. Tired of fussing with her appearance, without thinking she began to brush her hair up into her customary ponytail.

"Leave your hair down. You hardly ever do. It's so long and pretty." Maggie suggested, poking her head in the doorway.

"You're right." Beth put down the brush back on the dresser. Her hair had air dried and hung down her back in slight waves of white and gold hues.

"You look smokin'." Maggie cajoled, poking her in the ribs, making her jump.

"Your not so bad yourself." Beth said, looking closely at her sister. Searching for any signs of possible pregnancy. The tight white skinny jeans she wore didn't leave much room for a baby bump of any kind. Though, her halter top flowed around her middle, Beth couldn't see anything that might resemble pregnancy. It might of been Beth's imagination but she did think Maggie's skin glowed a bit.

"What? Why are you lookin' at me weird?"

"No reason." Beth lied. "I just missed this. Us hanging out. Talking. Shopping."

She spoke the truth. If Maggie were pregnant, why would she feel as though she couldn't tell her. Her own sister. Did she still hold some residual anger over what had happened?

Maggie wrapped her arms around Beth, hugging her tight. "I missed you too."

They'd lost a whole year out of selfish pride. When Beth got pregnant with Madalyn, Maggie suggested she put the baby up for adoption. That didn't go over so well.

Beth could remember that argument like it was yesterday.

" _It's best for the baby. You're just a kid yourself. How will you raise one?" Maggie had asked, heatedly._

" _I'm 19. I'm not a child. I know I am not prepared for this, but I can do it."_

" _Ha!" Maggie had laughed humorlessly. "Please. You have no idea what it takes to raise a child."_

" _And you do?" Beth had spat back._

" _No! But I ain't the one that got knocked up, now am I?"_

_Maggie had been angry with Beth plenty of times in their life. And Vise versa as well. They were sisters and fought that way. Beth had never seen this look on Maggie's face before, though. This look of angry disappointment would of liked to kill Beth. But, she refused to show Maggie how much it hurt and instead let her anger lead her._

" _Oh, don't be so pious, Maggie. We all know how you slept around."_

_Maggie reared back as though Beth had slapped her. Tears shining in her eyes and Beth automatically regretted her words. "That may be true. At least I was smart enough to use birth control!"_

" _You're jus' so smart ain't ya'?"_

" _If you're so much smarter than me, then you can figure this out by yourself. Don't even ask me for nothin'."_

" _Fine, Maggie. I don't need or want your help!"_

They both said things they regretted. Things that hurt them, cut them to the core. From that argument on, Beth became determined to raise her daughter on her own. Without her sister's' help. And so she had. For the first year of Madalyn's life she was all alone, minus Patricia's help when they moved in across the street when Madalyn was six months old.

Gareth long gone. No family to speak of, their daddy had died when they were children and her mother, who had never been right in the mind, kicked Beth out shortly after the baby was born. Beth had convinced herself it was for the best. She did not want Madalyn growing up in a household such as the one she grew up in.

It was hard, the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she made it. And she was stronger for it. She had no other choice but to make it. Living with a friend for a few months until she found a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. Then, a few months after that she found the duplex they lived at now and began applying for every student grant, aid, and loan possible. Turns out there was a plethora of college aid for single moms. She began nursing school along with her numerous jobs.

Maggie called out of the blue six months ago. Apologetic and mollified, asking Beth to come to her and Glenn's wedding to which she and Madalyn happily went. Enough time had passed that her anger and hurt had faded the minute she heard her sister's voice. Ever since that phone call they had remained close.

"Make-up!"

Lost in thought, Beth asked, "Huh?"

"You need make-up." Knowing her sisters aversion to it, Maggie reassured, "Just a little, come on."

Maggie took her by the hand and pulled her to her own bedroom, Madalyn toddling behind them. She plopped Maggie onto her bed while she rummaged in the adjoining bathrooms vanity. Fifteen minutes later she looked at herself in the hand held mirror Maggie gave her. A small amount of blush heightened her cheekbones. Eye-liner and mascara brought out her eyes. She looked refreshed and, well, young.

Smiling gratefully, she said, "Thanks Maggie."

"No, problem. What are sisters for?"

. . .

The party was in full swing and Beth had spent a good portion hiding away in the kitchen with Madalyn. Occasionally making her way out to the long picnic table that served as the buffet to be sure no bowl or container was empty.

Finally Maggie would no longer allow her to hide out in the kitchen, swooping Madalyn up onto her hip, who squealed happily. "You go mingle. Now."

"When did you become so bossy?" Beth asked, knowing full well Maggie was born that way.

"Go," she demanded.

"Fine, fine." Beth laughed, walking outside to join the crowd.

She knew no one and felt uncomfortable wandering about the yard, smiling and exchanging pleasantries and small talk with the party-goers. After about fifteen minutes of wondering why she was torturing herself, Beth was about to retreat back inside when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle approaching. Turning toward the driveway lined with vehicles, a man rode up.

 _Was that? No, it couldn't be_ …

Yet it was Daryl. Beth's heart began to beat double time. Naturally, she hid behind a tree, watching him from a safe distance as he unmounted his ride. She tried desperately not to notice the Levi's that hugged his long legs and skinny ass. The jeans were not new, but obviously reserved for nicer occasions. He wore work boots and a leather vest with angel wings on the back. His dark button up shirt was crisp as though he'd ironed it. He wore no helmet, which was stupid and foolish, but it gave him a reckless edge. He looked good. Too good.

Now, she had to find a way to avoid him the rest of the night because she was herself and Daryl was himself and he made her oh so nervous. Slinking back into the kitchen. Glenn, thankfully, instead of Maggie stood at the counter.

"Beth, will you take this out to the table?" He asked, holding out a plate of sliced onions and pickles.

"Uh, sure." Beth took the plate from Glenn's hand and walked to the door, peeking out first and when she saw no sign of Daryl, she pushed the screen door open. Darting her vision back and forth as she made her way to the table, adjusting a few plates to make room for the new platter. When she was satisfied she looked up and right into Daryl's line of sight.

_Shit!_

Now, instead of beating double time, she was sure her heart stopped completely. He smiled, a crooked smile, only the right side of his mouth lifting. He held a bottle of beer in one hand and nodded his head. She lifted her hand, waved back woodenly.

 _Deep breath,_ she told herself. There was no way to avoid him now. It would be rude to ignore him. She was so drawn to him, it made her want to hike up her dress and run the other way. But, that would probably be considered rude as well.

As Beth made her way over to him, she realized he was standing with the guys from the garage; Tyreese and Rick. _Great, more people to embarrass myself around._

Daryl's palms began to sweat as he watched Beth walk towards him in the long flowing dress that showed just enough breeze pressed her dress to her curves just slightly even if it did hide her long legs. She looked beautiful. Her hair was down and flowed in ripples well past the middle of her back. As she got closer, he noticed she was wearing make-up and he didn't mind that one bit. Aware of his his increasing uncomfortableness, he shuffled his feet, looking to the ground. Taking a deep breath before looking back up at her hoping maybe she wouldn't be as beautiful up close. Swallowing visibly, he knew he was wrong. He also knew he was done for. This girl that he barely knew had wound her way under his skin, coiling up around and constricting his heart.

"Hey there," she said to the group, her eyes lingering on Daryl a bit longer than the others. His eyes on hers.

"Oh hey!" Rick said, puzzled. "What are you doin' here?"

"I was going to ask ya'll the same thing. I'm Maggie's sister."

"No, shit?" Tyreese asked.

The woman standing next to him, punched his arm lightly and said, "You're not at the garage. You are in front of other people. Watch your mouth." She stuck her hand out to Beth, "I'm Karen by the way and I apologize for my Ogre of a husband."

Beth, giggled and shook her hand, "Nice to meet ya;."

"This is my wife, Lori. Our daughter Judith." Rick said, motioning to the pretty brunette next to him with a baby on her hip, round and chubby with blonde wisps of hair. She shook Lori's hand. "We have a son here too, Carl. He's probably off in the woods somewhere."

"So how do ya'll know Glenn and Maggie?" Beth asked the group.

"We went to high school together back in Michigan. He came down to Georgia and Rick gave him a job at the shop." Tyreese filled her in.

"Small world." Beth responded.

The group fell into easy casual conversation. Before long, Beth began to feel like the odd man out with everyone else knowing one another. Feeling antsy to get back to Madalyn, she excused herself. Again her eyes lingering a bit longer on Daryl. He smiled politely before she made her exit.

And, she knew better, but she looked back behind her as she walked away, Daryl was watching her, an intense look fixed on his face. Eyes furrowing. Not able to read his facial expression, it sent a shiver down her spine. She quickly focused her attention back on her task at hand.

Maggie and Madalyn were no where outside or in the lower half of the house. So following the stairs, she found them in her bedroom. Madalyn asleep in the pack-n-play set up next to the bed. Maggie sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her while she slept. She had such a peaceful look on her face that Beth didn't want to interrupt the moment, but Maggie looked up, seeing her watching them.

"She fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago. I guess the party wore her out." Maggie said, smiling down at the baby. "She has got to be the most precious thing on the planet." Maggie's voice sounded wistful almost.

"Yep," Beth agreed, joining her sister on the bed. "One day ya'll will have your own baby and to you that baby will be the most precious baby on the planet." Beth looked at Maggie, her heart broke from the sad look on her sister's face.

"Alright now. You need to fess up. Whats going on? Both you and Glenn are not acting like yourselves. You're not having problems are you?"

Tears suddenly streaked down Maggie's face.

Grabbing hold of her hand, Beth questioned earnestly, "Maggie, what is it?" Beginning to feel scared, Beth wonder what if it wasn't a baby? What if it was something serious. Not that a baby wasn't serious, but there could be a million things wrong.

Her suspicions were confirmed and her worries quieted when Maggie blurted out, "I'm pregnant," and fell into a weeping mess.

Beth held her sister tight, murmuring comforts into her hair. When Maggie's sobs slowed Beth put her hands on Maggie's shoulders, looking her in the face. "Are ya'll not happy about this?"

Maggie's eyes turned huge, "Yes, so happy. So excited."

"Then what's the problem?"

"We're scared shitless," Maggie said honestly.

Beth snickered, "Well that's normal. I was so scared when I found out about Madalyn. I couldn't eat for days."

"That was different. You were 19. What if I'm not a good mom, Beth? What if I'm like our mom." The mention of their mother brought chills to Beth's bare arms.

"Not possible. You and Glenn are going to be great parents. You love each other. You have this beautiful house with lots of room. Ya'll are going to be just fine. Most importantly you are going to be a great mom."

Maggie looked at her skeptically but smiled, taking a deep breath. "I hope your right."

"I am." Beth said confidently. "And I will be around all the time to help."

. . .

Beth had every intention of going out to the party for only a few minutes then retreating back into the house to keep within earshot of Madalyn. Apparently Glenn had other ideas. He cornered her in the kitchen.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

"Sorry, I was upstairs checking on Madalyn."

"I need your help."

After he explained his plan, Glenn located Maggie, no trace of her crying jag left on her face, and pulled her outside. He banged a butter knife on a glass beer bottle to gather everyone's attention. Once he had it he began a little speech.

"Hi everyone. I just wanted to take a second to thank you all for coming out tonight. I know it was a drive for some of you. We are so glad you could make it since most of you didn't make it to the wedding. I apologize to any of you with hurt feelings about that. I wanted Maggie to finally make an honest man out of me so the wedding was very short notice but nonetheless very special." Everyone clapped.

"Because of the hastiness of our wedding we did not have a wedding cake, much to my wife's regret. We all know how she loves cake." Maggie swung playfully at his arm. His speech had totally taken her by surprise, she listened along with everyone else.

"Beth," Glenn instructed loud enough for her to hear him from her hideout in the kitchen, "bring it on out."

Beth pushed the screen door open with her back and slowly spun around and walked their three tiered buttercream frosted wedding cake out. Maggie's mouth dropped open.

"Glenn!" she said, shocked. Beth sat the cake down on the table in front of them and backed away slowly, knowing Glenn wasn't through with his speech just yet.

Scanning the crowd, thinking Daryl must of took off and was unnerved by the amount of disappointment she felt thinking he left when, all the sudden, he was there. Standing with Tyreese. Smiling at her. She nervously brought a hand up to adjust the strap of her dress. Big mistake because his gaze followed her hand, landing on her bare shoulder. Heat surfaced there as though he'd touched her with his fingertips and not just with his eyes.

Glenn began to speak again. "We gladly share this cake with every one of you. But..." he stopped searching Maggie's face for confirmation of what he wanted to share next. She nodded her approval. "But my wife," Goosebumps climbed up Beth's arms, "has to have the first piece. I have to keep her well-fed now because she's pregnant."

The group went wild with cheers and applause and laughter. Beth clapped her hands then brought them to her lips. Overcome with emotion, she hopped no one noticed when she darted off into the kitchen. She was excited for Maggie and Glenn. But it was a reminder of what she didn't have. What Madalyn didn't have. _Two_ parents that loved her.

One person did, however, notice her retreat into the kitchen. When she heard the creak of the screen door she turned from the pan she was scrubbing in the sink. There stood Daryl, tall and handsome. Head bent down, he looked up at her out of the tops of his eyes. She waited for him to speak. He only stood. It was comforting, in a way to Beth, to not _have_ to speak, to not fill the air with idle chatter. She dried her hands on a towel and walked to him as he walked to her. Meeting in the middle of the room.

He did speak then, "You okay?"

Beth's eyes sparkled, "Yes. Just an emotional night."

He nodded. "Ah, congratulations." Was that the proper sentiment? He had no idea. "I wanted to tell you..."

She waited expectantly.

"That you look really good tonight. Really good."

She beamed up at him. "Thank you."

Fueled by a little bit of liquid encouragement he'd made it this far. Actually talked to her. Told her she looked good. Though it didn't seem like much, he was rewarded with a genuine smile. So, taking a chance, lifting a hand to her hair, he brushed the long strands behind her shoulder. His palm lightly passing by the skin of her arm as he traced the curve of her elbow, then touching her hand so lightly that if she closed her eyes she would of thought it was a butterfly fluttering past. He took her hand in his, his calloused fingers igniting every nerve in her body. His thumb brushing the pad of skin in between her thumb and forefinger.

"I wanted to ask you somethin', if I could."

"Sure," she said. _Please don't let it be about the car battery_ , she quietly wished.

"I was wonderin' if maybe, sometime, you'd want..."

At the sound of that blasted screen door they jumped from each other like polar ends of two magnets.

"Beth, would you grab some napkins?" Glenn asked, peeking his head into the doorway, totally oblivious to what he'd just interrupted before disappearing back outside. Beth swore under her breath.

Breaking contact with Daryl, she went to the counter and retrieved the napkins. Walking past him, she motioned with them, "Guess I'd better get these out there. Cake can be messy." Rolling her eyes at herself, she made her escape out the door. She was disappointed in herself for chickening out. But also grateful for the interruption. Grateful she wouldn't have to say no to whatever it was Daryl was about to ask her.

Because, of course, she would _have_ to turn him down. He had no idea what he was getting into. He didn't know her, he didn't know about her past. He didn't know about Madalyn. Surely once he found that out, he would no longer be interested. And the napkins, while a lame excuse, had saved her from having to hurt Daryl.


	4. Chapter 4 - French Fries

**Just a sweet little chapter for your 4th of July weekend. ;) Thanks for reading/commenting**! 

* * *

 

 

French Fries

At the party, when Glenn interrupted what Daryl and Beth, she took that as an exit and retreated to her bedroom and Madalyn. A short while later, as she stood at the bedroom window, she watched him say his good-byes to Maggie and Glenn. Shaking Glenn's hand and Maggie giving him a hug. He mounted his bike and drove off. She listened as the rumble of the exhaust drive further and further away.

Standing at the window long after he was out of sight, in her hand she held the Grimes Auto Repair business card with his number scribbled on the back. She let it fall listlessly from her hand and into the small trash container at her feet.

Beth had convinced herself that she did not need a man. Her focus was school and Madalyn. There wasn't room for much else. Now, though, she was second guessing that decision. People did it all the time. Went to school, worked, raised a child and still managed to date on the side. Why not her? But who's to say Daryl wouldn't turn out like Gareth? It wasn't a chance she was willing to take, simple as that.

Back at home, she threw herself into work and school with a renewed focus. Even picking up a couple extra shifts at the diner just to keep her mind busy. After working late, outside her apartment she heard Patricia climbing the steps to the upper half of the duplex. Beth beat her to the door yanking it open.

"I told you a million times I will come and get Madalyn so you don't have to climb those steps." Beth lectured the older woman who was pink cheeked and slightly out of breath from climbing the ten rickety steps.

"Oh it's no big deal." Patricia scoffed, shooing Beth off with the wave of her hand..

Beth moved out of the way so she and Madalyn could enter the living room, setting Madalyn on the ground, she immediately toddled over to her mama. Beth snatched her up in her arms, smothering her with kisses.

"Did you have fun at Miss Patty's? Were you good for her?"

"Oh please, she was an angel. As always." Patricia plopped down on Beth's warn, but insanely comfortable second hand couch. Putting her foot up on the scratched coffee table, she looked at a loose cuticle on the edge of a fingernail, trying for casualness, and said "So, you didn't say much about the party. Just that Maggie was pregnant. Did you not have a good time?"

Beth was hoping the topic wouldn't come up again, but Patricia read her like a book, she knew with some sort of secondhand physic-ness that Beth left some of the story out. Madalyn squirmed from her arms, and Beth began straightening the bookshelf that Madalyn's books had claimed. Anything to keep herself busy and away from Patricia's spidey senses.

"Oh, it was fun. It was really good to see Maggie."

"Uh huh. Thats nice." Patricia peered at her suspiciously over her glasses. Feeling her gaze on her back, Beth guessed what was coming next. "Sooo, " Patrica let the word drag on. "Meet anyone...interesting?"

Beth willed the flush on her cheeks to go away. "No, not particularly."

"Huh. Not particularly?"

"Nope." Standing up from the bookshelf, she said, "Come on Madalyn, let's get your diaper changed." She left Patricia sitting on her couch while she disappeared down the hall and into Madalyn's bedroom, wrestling Madalyn onto the changing pad that sat atop the dresser.

Back in the living room, Patricia spoke under her breath, "Huh...not particularly, my right butt cheek. Girls virginity is going to grow back if she keeps living the life of a nun. Uhh hmm."

Beth poked her head back into the hallway, "What was that? Did you say somethin'?"

"Oh nothing, dear. Just a crazy ol' lady talkin' to herself. I'm gonna go now." Patricia hefted herself off the couch with an "oof" and waddled her way to the door.

"Okay, see ya'." Beth yelled back. Smiling to herself, she heard every word Patricia had said and laughed nervously, only partly afraid it was true. She wasn't that pathetic. Was she? So she hadn't dated since getting pregnant with Madalyn. That didn't put her up on nun level. Did it? It's not like many guys her age were interested in single moms.

Murmuring to herself about convents and nuns, with a hand on wiggly Madalyn, she reached for the wipe box only to come up empty. She looked on the floor, behind the dresser. Nothing.

"Guess we're out." She told Madalyn. "Here, you hang out in your crib and I will go get more...Don't pee." Beth put Madalyn in her crib sans diaper and made her way to her bedroom where she stored extra diapers, wipes, toilet paper and such under her bed. Their tiny apartment had no linen closet to speak of, forcing her to become inventive when storing things. Retrieving a box of off-brand baby wipes, she tossed it up on the bed while she climbed to her feet with a grunt.

There, on the bed, next to the box was a pink stuffed bunny. Examining it, she picked it up.

"Where did you come from?" She asked the bunny. Beth had never seen it before. She stared at it a few seconds, trying to wrack her brain. _Maybe it came from Patricia?_ She often bought Madalyn a little stuffed animal or book or board puzzle. That has to be it. _But why would it be on my bed?_

Inturpting her thoughts, Madalyn called from her crib, "Mama mamamama."

Perplexed Beth put the rabbit under her arm and grabbed the box of baby wipes from the bed and went back to finish changing Madalyn and getting her ready for the day.

* * *

 

"Did you ask her out?" Tyreese asked as he, Daryl and Rick sat around a grungy table in the break room at the garage.

Daryl bit into his sandwich, talking around a mouthful, he said, "Na."

"And why not?" Rick asked.

Daryl shrugged, took a drink from his can of Coke. "Believe me, she ain't interested."

"Why the hell not?" This from Rick.

Again he shrugged. "I dunno...look at me. I'm a greasy redneck mechanic. She's not interested," he repeated.

"Quit being so self-deprecating ."

Daryl looked over his can of coke, lifting an eyebrow, "Self what?"

"You sell yo'self short, you think she's not interested because you think you're beneath her, that you're no good."

"No, you got that wrong. He does want to be beneath her." Tyreese joked.

The comment made Daryl's blood inexplicably boil. And why? Beth wasn't his woman. Tyreese could talk about her any way he wanted. Still, he had to take a deep breath to calm himself.

Rick ignored Tyreese, "I'm just sayin' that Andrea really did a number on you."

"Oh yeah? How so?" Andrea treated him like shit, if he were being honest, Rick spoke the truth.

"She beat you down, made you feel worthless."

It was true, Daryl could at least admit that to himself. She did so every time she got the chance. They'd been married three long years. The first six months were the only good part. Then it just went south from there.

Daryl stood, pushing the chair back with the force of his legs. "You been watchin' too much friggin' Oprah. Now, if counseling hour is over we got work to do." He walked out the door slamming it behind him.

"Oh you pissed him off." Tyreese said, then whistled.

Rick sat back in his chair, kicking his long legs out. "That's my whole plan. If he gets pissed off enough he will go to her, ask her out. Just to prove me wrong."

"You, man, are a genius."

"Do me a favor, next time you see Lori tell her that."

* * *

 

"What will ya' have today, Dale?" Beth asked the older balding man. He was a regular at the diner. Came in every Friday afternoon around four for the Early-Bird special; Hamburger, fries with a side of coleslaw and a medium Sweet Tea to drink. She knew this, yet, every week he looked over the menu as if he'd order something else. Smiling patiently, she didn't mind. He was a widower. Lost his Irma fifteen years ago. He was very sweet and grandfatherly, Beth always looked forward to his visits.

Wearing the diner's uniform; a white shirt with The Diner written on it in bold black letters and snug black shorts with a half apron around her waist, she stood before Dale, order pad and pen poised in the air, she waited.

"I think I'll have the Early-Bird Special." Winking at her.

"I will put that right in for ya' Dale. Be about five minutes." She winked back and went to tend to other customers.

This job didn't bother her so much. It was tiring being on her feet for two shifts and sometimes she just wanted to clobber the mean customers, but the time usually went by quickly, and the tips were great. And, she was embarrassed to admit it, Abe, the cook, usually unloaded all the extra food onto her. Those leftovers are what she ate off of for most of the week. That way she could save what little grocery money she had to buy good quality food for Madalyn. Good quality food was not cheap. At least one of them could eat well that way.

She put in Dale's order along with her own. There was always a lull right before the dinner rush and Beth usually took her lunch break at the counter. She had to eat quickly on her break, that usually meant shoving food down her throat without tasting while having a quick visit with Dale.

And that is where Daryl found her. She had just shoved the remaining few fries from her plate into her mouth when she felt the person who had slid onto the stool next to her staring a little too long.

Eyeing him with her peripheral vision, she recognized the man. "Daryl!" She mumbled around the mouthful of food, putting her hand up to her mouth. She chewed and chewed some more before taking a swig of her Coke to wash it down.

"Daryl," she said more clearly this time. "What are you doin' here?"

He looked around, gestured with his hand. "Food?" Yes, the food. Him being there had nothing to do with what Rick had said earlier in the week. It also had nothing to do with wanting to see Beth again so badly it almost hurt.

"Oh, ha! Yes, it is a diner." Rolling her eyes at herself, _Why would he of come to see me_ , a voice sounded in her head. Her hopes dashing to the ground. No one's looked twice at her in two years, why would Daryl?

"You, uh, got a little ketchup..." he raised his knuckle to the corner of her lip, wiping it away.

_I'm such a catch. Greasy uniform, messy hair, food shoved in my face, and now ketchup on my mouth._

Face turning crimson. _Awesome_.

Mortified, she said, "Thanks. Can I getcha somethin? To eat," she added.

"Sure..." he picked up the menu that stood up between the salt and pepper shakers. Purersing the items listed he didn't really read it. It was a diner, they'd have anything any other normal diner would. He was more preoccupied with the woman to his right. He could feel Beth watching him, her eyes penetrating his profile.

"Just get the early-bird special. It's the best thing on the menu." Dale interjected.

Daryl smiled at the old man on the corner stool, "Alright. I will take the special."

"Sure, no problem," Beth said, getting up from her stool to place his order.

"So, how do you know our Bethy?" Dale asked Daryl after a moment had passed. The man with bushy eyebrows sat two seats over looking at Daryl quizickly.

Dale knew when a man was interested in a woman, you didn't get to live 67 years and not pick up a thing or two about body language, but this man with the work uniform and camouflage hat, had it bad for Beth. And what's more worthy to note, Beth seemed interested in this man as well. Which was new. Dale had never seen Beth act this way around anyone. She was always friendly and efficient, even with the mildly offensive men that occasioned the diner, keeping anyone that might be interested in her at arm's length. It was nothing either of the two said. It was more the way they behaved - completely fumbling around like blind mice.

"Oh, just a friend of a friend. An old co-workers wife's sister." Daryl explained.

"Is that right?"

Daryl nodded, "Uh huh."

"She's a good girl. Hard worker."

"I really don't know her that well." He was trying his damndest to remedy that though. If he could only get out of his own way and if only Beth would let him within a few feet of her.

"Oh yeah. Two jobs last I counted. Plus nursing school."

"Two, plus school?" Daryl asked in disbelief. He wanted to ask Glenn more about her, but the opportunity never presented itself at the party.

"Yep."

After a few moments, Beth came out of the swinging kitchen door caring Daryl's plate of food."Here ya' go Daryl. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Looks good. Thanks Beth."

Dale watched Daryl as he watched Beth as she walked away to another table. Dale smiled knowingly. He grabbed his hat, pulling it onto his head. Leaning in, he spoke conspiratorially to Daryl, "Don't wait too long..."

"Wait too long fer what?"

Dale chuckled, slapped Daryl on the shoulder and strolled on out the door.

Mauling over what the old man said, Daryl bit into his burger, trying his best to not stare as Beth made her way around the diner.

She tried not to stop by his station at the counter too often, lest he think she interested. Which, of course, she was. Only stopping by once to refil his Coke and then when he was finished, she asked, "Can I get ya' anything else, Daryl?"

"Na', just the check."

She fished her order pad from her apron and found the copy of his order and placed it on the counter. He took out his wallet finding the correct amount plus a generous tip.

"Well. Thanks Daryl. Have a good night." Reluctantly she turned from him.

"Uh, Beth?" Dale's words echoing in his head.

Turning back to him, a bit too eagerly. "Yeah?"

"Was wonderin', what time do you get off work?"

"Late," was all she said.

"How late is late?"

"We close at nice, so I get outta' here 'bout 9:30."

Fumbling with his napkin, looking down, then forcing himself to look back up to her. Into those trepidatious blue eyes. "Can I give you a ride home?"

Her eyes grew round, she wasn't expecting that.

"Unless you have your own car."

_Why the hell didn't I think of that before I asked her? Dumbass._

"Actually, I usually walk home. I only live a few blocks down." Beth enjoyed the quiet coolness of her evening walks home. It was late, and very rarely did she come across another soul.

"Can I give you a ride then?"

"It's only three blocks..." she felt foolish him driving her the less than the three minutes it would take to get home.

"Okay then. Nevermind," he started to slide off the stool.

Cating him by the arm, a little too loudly she said, "Yes!" Beth realized she wanted more than anything to spend those three minutes it would take him to drive her home. Her thoughts of convents and a life of celibacy flying out of her head faster than a tornado on Oklahoma soil.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yes," she repeated. "I would like that. I mean, for you to give me a ride."

Daryl smiled his relief. He nodded his head once, and said, "See you about 9:30."

 _When did nodding become so sexy_ , she wondered as she watched him walk out the door to his truck parked out front.

. . . .

At nine o'clock sharp Beth turned the open sign over to closed and locked the door. Her back ached and she was exhausted and she smelled of fried food. She was sure she looked like hell and was partly hoping Daryl wouldn't show. Of course, then she would be disappointed. How could one man bring out such mixed emotions? She thought of him constantly, but then when she was with him she was a bundle of nerves.

A million questions would cross her mind when she thought of him. How would he fit into her life? How would he feel about Madalyn. If he did have an issue with Beth having a child then, obviously, she would refuse to see him. No one came before Madalyn and he would have to understand that. Was he looking for just a hook-up, or was he looking for something more?

 _Whoa!_ She checked herself. She knew she was getting way ahead of herself. He was only taking her home from work. _Good grief!_

Daryl knocked on the glass door at precisely 9:20. Prompt, Beth approved. He waved at her through the glass.

Yelling back to the kitchen "Abe, I'm leavin. See ya' next week."

"See ya', be safe walkin' home now," he hollered back. Abe was protective of all the staff and often voiced his opinion on her walking home by herself. Beth didn't think he'd feel any better about her catching a ride with a virtual stranger. So, she slid quietly out the door. Her doggy bags of the over food in hand and gazed up at Daryl.

"Hey."

"Hey."

_Well that's a good start, Daryl. Man I suck at this small-talk bullshit._

"I parked right over there," he said, pointing to his truck, parallel parked along the curb.

"Here, let me take those," referring to her plastic take-out bags.

"Thanks."

Daryl opened the passenger side door for her. She stepped up and slid in and he rounded the truck, getting in.

 _From the shadow of the real estate building across the street a pair of eyes watched Beth through the windshield of his vehicle get into the rednecks truck._  
_What the hell Beth? Who's the hick?_  
_He balled up his fists until he felt the sharp pain of his nails on the flesh of his palms. Anger more potent than any drug ran through his veins. Watching them drive off he started his own engine, taking a u-turn. He knew exactly where they were going.  
_ _He parked a block away just as the jerkwad opened the door for Beth. He slid out of his own door, and crept around the fenced in back yard, peering through the slats._

Their conversation was only a little awkward. They spoke about their day and how busy the diner was. What their plans for the weekend were. Much too soon, just as Beth felt herself relax a bit, they had arrived at Beth's home.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime."

Beth was mildly impressed when Daryl insisted on walking her up to her place. Up the stairs to her door.

They stood on the small landing of the steps in front of the door. Retrieving her keys from her purse, she took her take out bags from him.

"Do you want to come in? I think there is some leftover peach pie in one of these containers."

How he wanted to. Wanted to more than he wanted to take his next breath. It was getting late, and he didn't want Beth to get the wrong impression of him. Any other time, any other woman he would of gone inside for peach pie. And more. Without so much as a second thought. But he knew Beth was different. She wasn't some girl from the bar. She was special and should be treated that way.

"No thanks. Some other time."

Her smile slightly wavered but his smile brightened a bit at her disappointment. Not that he wanted her disappointed, but maybe he did have a small, small chance with her.

"Well goodnight then," she said primly. Thinking maybe she had read him wrong. Maybe he was just being nice, taking her home. She turned, fitting the key in the deadbolt.

 _Now or never,_ Daryl told himself. Unable to tell her how he felt, he decided to show her...


	5. Chapter 5 - Undeniable

**Sorry for the delay everyone. But, life and all gets in the way sometimes. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! And Rckyfrk I apologize in advance.**

* * *

 

 

Undeniable

Daryl lightly placed a palm on Beth's shoulder, turning her around to face him. Placing a finger under her downturned chin, he soundlessly appealed to her to look up at him. When she finally did look up at him, he bent his head and ever-so-gently rested his lips on hers. If she recoiled. Slapped him. Screamed indignation at him, he wouldn't blame her. A least then he would know where he stood. It was a chance he was willing to take.

At first she didn't' respond, only seeping in the sensation of his lips on hers, As he slid his hands down her sides, brushing briefly past the sides of her breasts before coming to a rest on her hips, she leaned slightly into him. Taking the kiss deeper, sucking gently on her bottom lip, her mouth warm and smooth beneath his. Dropping her guard, Beth angled her head to turn the heat up a notch. His tongue traced her lips before tentatively sliding into her mouth, dancing with hers. Dropping the take-out bags, she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him flush against her.

His hands slid around her back, down to mold her bottom and angle her up against him. At this point all logical thought escaped Beth's mind. Since she got pregnant with Madalyn she'd always been able to separate her emotions from practicality, to somehow step outside of herself and away from these feelings that Daryl had stirred and brought to the surface in one fell swoop of a kiss.

He tasted slightly of cigarettes, Beth didn't mind any. It gave the kiss a sense of recklessness. Of a youth she rarely experienced. Of stealing a smoke from your dad's pack that he kept hid in his dresser drawer. He tased of recklessness. Of taking a chance. His mouth was hungry, his body lean but pure muscle. His hands big and calloused, were demanding.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he noticed how delicate Beth felt, as though he could snap her in two, but he couldn't stop even if a freight train was coming full speed in his direction. He didn't understand why, but the sensation of her vulnerability was undeniably arousing.

Seeming to go weak under his mouth, a helpless little moan escaped her throat. It snapped him back to reality, for which, he was grateful. He did not want to take this too far. Not yet. Finally, or too soon, he pulled back, searching her face. Daryl almost expected her to smack him, but the look of lust on her face told him otherwise. Her lips, still wet from their kiss, curved into a luscious sexy smile.

Suddenly his shyness overcame him again and he looked at his feet then up at her with his eyes, gentle as a doe. Beth felt herself fall right then and there as butterflies marched in her belly, her heart beat a solid sticcado in her chest. Her breathing unsteady.

"Well. This has been the most exciting few minutes I've had in a very long time." Beth spoke, breaking the silence with good humor. He chuckled. That rough rumbling made Beth ache all over. In a good way.

Reaching out again, he pulled her close to him, embracing her in the solid hold of his arms. Her hands sliding up to his chest. "When can I see you again?"

She loved the way he phrased that. Not _can I see you sometime. N_ ot _I'll see you later._ Or the dreaded _I'll call you sometime_. No, none of that. He said _When can I see you again_.

"Oh ummm...," when _would_ she be able to see him again? She supposed she could ask Patricia to watch Madalyn sometime, but Beth felt guilty enough leaving her as much as she already had to. And she did not want to introduce her to Daryl just yet.

"I'm busy this weekend," she said, without explanation. "Monday. I can bring you lunch at the shop? After my class, before I go into work I usually just grab something from the diner. But we could have lunch together."

Monday? That was two whole days away. He wanted to see her tomorrow, and the day after that. As well as Monday. He reflected how strange it was, going from exponentially single, to wanting to spend every minute he could with her. He definitely never felt that way before. If Monday was all she could offer, he would take it.

"That'd be great. Tyreese, Rick and the guys are great company, but they ain't near as pretty as you."

Daryl made sure she got inside okay before he retreated down the steps and back to his truck. He was sure a stupidass grin graced his face. He watched as what must of been the living room and then bedroom light came on, before driving away.

In a bit of a daze, Beth wasn't sure just what happened, how she went from swearing off men, to making out with one on her doorstep. What did it all mean? Was Daryl looking for a relationship? Because she wasn't a fast and loose kind of girl.

And, again, she was overthinking.

She was roused from thought by a creak of the outer stairs, her heart skipping a beat. Had Daryl come back? She peaked out in between the curtains to the front of the house where his truck had been parked at the curb. No. His truck was gone. Beth went to the door, put her ear to it. Listening intently for any sound, thinking a peep-hole would be really great right about now _._

There it was again. Distinct footsteps on the stairs. She pulled back from the door as though it were on fire and the heat was burning through. Returning to the couch where had tossed her purse, Beth rummaged through for her phone. Clutching it, thumb poised to dial. To dial who, though? The police? To tell them what? That she heard foot steps? Daryl? She really did not want to play the part of dramatic girl who calls her new boyfriend - or whatever he was, the second she was spooked by a noise. She didn't want to disturb Patricia and Madalyn. So she sat on the couch, phone still in hand. Contemplating what she should do next.

After a few moments her heartbeat slowed and she no longer heard the footfalls on the stairs and she was able to convince herself it was all a figment of her overactive imagination. Nothing more.

_You're being ridiculous_ , she lectured herself. Feeling brave, Beth walked to the door and threw it open with such force it slammed back against a small end table.

_See, no one's there,_ she whispered to herself. Still, she couldn't fight off that eerie feeling that someone had been there and was now watching her.

* * *

Monday couldn't come fast enough for Daryl. He spent the weekend working on a few projects he'd been wanting to finish up at his cabin. He was preparing to add on to his two bedroom log cabin. Why he needed so much room, he wasn't sure, but it would be beautiful when he was finished. He could envision it now as he tipped back in the old kitchen chair that had sat on the back porch since the day he bought the place, looking out over his property. The solitude was its main selling point for Daryl. The moment he saw it he knew it was for him. Other people didn't appreciate it so much. Way out here in the middle of nowhere, down a dusty dead end. No close neighbors. No noise except for the insects and frogs and other random wild life. Come fall he could almost hunt right from his porch if he wanted. The river that ran through the property was great for fishing, not big enough for a boat but, a small dock that jutted out on the water where you could throw a line out if you were so inclined. Perfect for him. Perfect for a family. Perfect place to raise kids.

_Where the hell'd that come from?_

Kids were never brought up by Andrea. As far as he knew she never wanted any. He brought the topic up once about a year into their marriage. She changed the subject quickly and indefinitely. Then things went from bad to worse and he spent the next two years in purgatory. It was probably for the better anyway.

Shaking Andrea from his mind, his thoughts drifted to Beth. He could almost picture her there sitting next to him. Cold beer bottle in her hand, wearing those short worn cut offs that showed her legs. A tank-top showing off her shoulders that would be pinkened from the sun. Yes, he could easily picture her here. With him. And the idea terrified him.

The sound of a motorcycle shattered his peaceful day.

"Shit," Daryl mumbled under his breath. Bringing the chair back to all fours, he waited. Hearing the rumble slow and then come closer until the engine cut off. Footfalls stomped on the front porch steps, then the front door banging open.

"Little brother!"

The refrigerator door could be heard opening, a glass bottle scraping along the shelf. A top popping and clunking to the floor.

"Ya' home?"

Daryl didn't answer, he knew he'd be found soon enough.

Merle barged through the screen door. "There ya' are," he said taking a deep pull of his beer.

"Why ya' hiding back here?"

"Just enjoyin' the quiet. Or at least I was," Daryl said, giving his brother the side-eye.

"So whatcha been up to?"

He shrugged. Merle had come in and out of Daryl's life since they were boys. He'd leave for months then return one day acting as though he'd only been gone to the store. Not missing a beat.

Daryl wondered how long he was here for this time. Merle was always rough around the edges. Sporting a continuous five o'clock shadow, clothes threadbare. Always in need of a shower. He did keep his balding head shaved though. Not that Daryl himself was a whole lot better off.

Merle looked thin but surprisingly good. Not strung out like the million other times he came back to town, looking for food or money or a place to sleep off his latest binge. Most likely, though, in need of all three. They both shared the same childhood. Their mom dying young leaving them with their alcoholic abusive father. Merle seemed to carry the fallout more outwardly than Daryl did.

Daryl had his fair share of wild times, that was for sure, he grew out of it pretty quickly having to become a man and pretty much raise himself. He didn't care too much for that constant hungover feeling either. So, barring a beer or two after work or with dinner, he for the most part led a pretty clean life now. Unlike Merle.

"Where ya' been, Merle?"

"Oh here and there," he said by way of explanation. "Been back a couple days."

That surprised Daryl. Usually his house was the first place he hit.

"Oh?" Wondering who put him up for those couple days. Merle had burned more bridges in this town that Daryl didn't think anyone would put up with him for more than a few minutes. "How longs a couple days?"

On occasions, when Merle partied too hard for too long, time blurred and hours became days, days seemed like seconds. Minutes became hours. Daryl learned to judge how messed up he was by his lack of grasp on time.

Merle shuffled back onto the old porch swing that was hung at the other end of the porch, its chains creaking from the motion. "Ohhh...long enough to know you been runnin' 'round with a pretty young, blonde thing." He downed half his beer in a couple swallows, before setting it on the wood flooring.

That got Daryl's attention. He stared directly at his brother who was already leaning his head back on the armrest, kicking his legs out, laying down. Pulling his hat low over his eyes.

"Where'd you hear that?" Damn small towns.

"Didn't hear it, saw it with my own baby blues," he sleepily replied, moving his hand in a circular motion. "I was coming out of Mickey's Tavern in just enough time to see you walking off arm and arm with some blonde chicky." He peaked out under the bill of his hat. "She a waitress at the dinner? She had a sweet ass too...uh huh, yes sir."

Daryl was up and out of his seat quick as a snake striking it's prey. Merle was less than worried about his brothers reaction, only lifting an eyebrow quizzically.

"Don't be sayin that shit about her. You hear me? Matter a fact, just don't say anything."

"Take it easy, little brother." Merle slurred. Then, focusing his eyes more clearly, he added, "So, it's gotta be serious. You gettin' all huffy 'bout the girl."

Daryl hated that he let his brother get that reaction, any reaction for that matter, from him. Hated that he now knew he cared for Beth. Why was he getting all huffy anyway? They hadn't even been out on a date, what did it matter to him what Merle thought anyway? The anger faded as quickly as it had entered him.

"What's her name?"

"Beth. Her name's Beth."

"Well, when do I get to meet her?"

"Never, if I got anything say about it." Daryl hissed, then walked back into the house, slamming the screen door. Leaving Merle to sleep it off on the back porch.

* * *

Finally Monday rolled around and Daryl found himself checking the clock every fifteen minutes. The morning dragged ass. He was putting the cover back on the air filter he'd just replaced when he checked the clock yet again. Only five minutes had past. This was getting pathetic. Never in his life had he looked so forward to seeing a woman. This thought made him realize how aloof he'd been in his life. Free floating from one day to the next. From one woman to the next. He and Andrea had been married. It was more of a marriage of convenience. Seeming like a good idea at the time, in the end it was a horrible mistake.

From first sight Beth made him feel different. Made everything seem different. He prayed he wouldn't screw this one up. This one was special.

"Hey."

Daryl turned, not realizing Beth was there. Or how long she'd been there. Wiping his hands on a red rag that he pulled from his back pocket, he subtly looked her over. Holding a plastic bag with a take out container inside, she looked amazing as usual. Made up in fancy clothes and make up or dressed down in her work clothes, she made his mouth water. Today her hair was up in the normal pony, but it was long and smooth. Not the messy bun thing she had happening most of the time was wrong. He'd gladly take either. Dressed for work, she wore capris and another tank-top. He loved the view the tank-tops allotted of the slope of her shoulders, the smoothness of her skin. He resisted the urge to run his hand down her arm as she came to a stop a foot from him.

"Lunch time already?" He asked as though he wasn't watching the damn clock all morning long.

"Hey there pretty lady." Tyreese bellowed out from the waiting room doorway. "Ya' bring us some lunch?"

Pulling her eyes from Daryl she focused on Tyreese. "Not today, maybe some other time," giving him a friendly smile. A person couldn't help but like Tyreese. He had a kind smile and was likened to a big teddy bear.

"Aw that's okay, sweetheart."

"Come on," Daryl mumbled, drawing Beth away from Tyreese and his effortless flirting, motioning her to follow him out the bay door and across the street. Once out of shot of the shop, he reached back and her fingers instinctively intertwined with his. It was only holding hands, they weren't in fifth grade, for crying out loud, but the tingle that started out in her hand traveled up her arm and flushed heat to other extremities of her body.

Allowing him lead her along, passing the bar, the real estate business, towards the outskirts of downtown where the stores and businesses became more sparse.

"Where we goin?" She finally asked.

"You'll see."

"I'll see? I know this town kinda' well and I'm pretty sure you're taking me to the back alley of the grocery store. You're not going to kill me and dump my body in an alley, are ya'?" She joked as she followed him into the bricked pathway between the grocery store and a hardware store.

"No, but I am going to do this." Lightening fast, he spun around, lunging at her and clasped her waist with his hands, pushing her up against the brick wall.

"You're drivin' me nuts, ya' know that?" He breathed an inch above her lips. Her eyes traveling down to his lips, then back up to his fierce blue eyes.

Forcing herself to focus on his words, not what she knew he could do with those lips, she asked, "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

Her voice held a hilt of breathlessness and it went straight to his groin. "You're all I can think 'bout. Can't friggin' concentrate."

And that. That was the best compliment anyone had ever given her. She dropped the take out bag and his hands were all over her, from her face down her shoulders around to her tiny waist. Pulling her up and closer to him. If she wasn't already out of breath the rest escaped out on a moan when she felt the swell growing in his work jeans on her hip. Her hands roamed his broad shoulders down his chest to where it rested on his belt buckle. His lips finally landing on her. He kissed her down her neck, down the v-neck of her shirt and nipped his way back up to her mouth.

_Oh hell, what am I doing? I can't be doing this. Making out in the alley by the grocery store. I'm a mom! I shop at this grocery store. With my daughter in tow._

But she continued to do it, to let Daryl's kisses and hands draw every reasonable thought from her mind. Beth was sure the only sound in her brain right at that moment, was something similar to the breeze through the trees.

Need welled up in him stronger, needier than he'd ever known. She appeared to be all his in that moment, puddy in his hands. She trusted him totally and completely. And it both excited him and scared the shit out of him.

Finally, yet too soon, he pulled back allowing them both to catch their breath. They stared at one another, lungs gasping for air. Her lips were wonderfully swollen and her face was reddened from the stubble of his beard. Daryl placed his hand on her cheek, caressing lightly. He rubbed his thumb over her wet lips and she turned her head slightly placing a steamy kiss on the palm of his hand, never loosing eye contact. The scent of grease and motor oil was almost a aphrodisiac, making her want him more. So much more. His eyes almost closed, devastating her with a smoldering look.

"Damn girl," he murmured.

They stood a moment longer before Daryl spoke, repeating his earlier drawl, "Come on." Decidingly so, she would follow him anywhere. Into into a fiery abyss, into a zombie apocalypse, to rob a bank, she didn't care, as long as she was with him.

. . .

They quietly ate their lunches on a bench in a small park around the corner from the grocery store alley. They spoke easily, drifting in and out of conversation. Their silences easy and not at all awkward.

Keeping conversations casual, between bites of her BLT, she said, "I talked to Maggie and Glenn last night."They spoke a few times a week now and it had become the highlight of Beth's week. She loved having that connection with her sister (and brother-in-law) again.

"Oh yeah? How they doin'?"

"Good. Really good. Glenn says Maggie's being a bear though. Pregnancy hormones and all." Beth laughed.

Daryl chuckled. "Is that right?"

"I said it's good. Means the baby is growin' nice and healthy. I think they are having a girl. I've heard women are more moody when they are pregnant with girls." I sure was, Beth almost added, thankfully she stopped herself in time before revealing too much. She was baffled by her want to share more than she should about herself with Daryl.

"Ha! It's good for Glenn."

"He doesn't quite know how to deal with it." Beth laughed again. Not feeling sorry for Glenn one little bit, he loved it.

Another moment of silence as they ate. "So what did you do this weekend?" She asked Daryl.

"Oh not much. I'm adding onto my house so I'm prepping for that." He wanted her to see him as a responsible adult, not the dumb redneck hick that people often wrote him off as. He was more than that.

He omitted the visit from Merle entirely.

"You live out of town, right? I do like where I live. I mean, it's convenient to all my jobs and to the school. But, I would love to get out of town. I grew up on a farm. In a beautiful, big farmhouse," she provided more vague information about her herself, leaving out how things had went bad after daddy died. He didn't need to know that, didn't need to know what transpired after.

So instead of saying more she scanned the small park, the trees swaying in the breeze, the clouds moving along the bright blue sky. Children swinging on the swings when her gaze fell on a man standing partly hidden by the trees on the other side of the park. She couldn't see his face, the way he stood gave her memory a familiar tug. Too familiar. It was the way he cocked out his hip as he leaned against a nearby tree. Wearing jeans and a ball cap pulled low over his eyes. Beth could feel the blood drain from her face.

_No, this wasn't happening!_ Such a perfect day. Feeling like she and Daryl were the only two people in the little storytale world and then an uninvited antagonist from her past stomped all over their fairy tail afternoon and most worriedly back into her life.

Beth knew they had another year. A whole other year before he could come near them again. She hadn't quite yet decided what to do at the end of that year. They could pick up and move if they had to. She and Madalyn had built a life here, true enough. Not wanting to uproot her daughter. By then, though, she would have her nursing degree and hopefully will be able to find steady employment in most cities in Georgia. Or even Alabama, or Florida. Anywhere for that matter.

Panic rose from her toes all the way to her head, feeling her scalp tingle. And Daryl. She didn't want to leave him. Unfortunately, she couldn't and wouldn't let her heart define that decision. She had to be smart. Thinking with her mind.

"Hey, baby? You okay?" Daryl asked, touching her arm.

She looked at him blankly. "Umm..." _Shit, what had he been talking about?_

"Yeah, I...I'm fine." She cleared her throat looking back at the figure by the trees who was no longer there. Or had he been there at all?

"I just need to go, get to work. Those toilets won't scrub themselves." Trying to joke herself out of the feeling of impending doom.

"Okay." More of a question than a statement from Daryl. "You sure ya' alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't want to be late."

She walked with Daryl back to the shop. She was comforted when he put his arm around her waist as they strolled along the sidewalk, faking a calmness she did not feel. He kissed her sweetly on the lips next to her car, telling her to call him when she was through working, even if it was before he was done with work.

Because Beth sadly cut her lunch short with Daryl she had a few minutes before she needed to be at work and she used it to swing back to her house. Digging through an old filing cabinet where she kept important papers. Her and Madelyn's birth certificate, social securities cards. Renters and car insurance policies. Pulling out an envelope simply labeled Gareth. Inside she kept his arrest record that she obtained from her lawyer. Courts records. The official document that signed away all legal guardianship to Madalyn. That still stung. How someone wouldn't want her sweet angel was beyond her. But, she was thankful nonetheless.

Then she found it. The restraining order she filed while still pregnant with Madalyn. The pictures of herself, wearing a baggy shirt she hopped at that time concealed her sixth months of pregnancy. Her face a bloody, puffy mess. Her nose swollen, looking slightly crooked. Her eye almost bruised shut. A deep gash on her left cheek. Unconsciously, she rose her fingers to the scar that still, though faded, marred her skin. Most disturbingly, her wrist bandaged from where she tried to take her own life. It seemed as though she was staring at another person in those photos. The beat up broken hearted little girl in those pictures was a total different person than she was now.

Blinking to clear her eyes, reading through the fine print of the report. Just as she thought the restraining order didn't expire for another year. One year, two weeks, and five days to be exact. Still, that date did nothing to quell unease that crept under her skin. 


	6. Chapter 6 - Gain

**HI all! Thanks for reading/commenting! Hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

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The only way Beth felt she could see Daryl was on their lunch break. She wasn't sure if what they were doing could be called dating since they ate together at the park three days this past week. She felt ancient using that word - dating. Like she was beyond that at this point in her life. Which was ridiculous, of course. She was a young viable woman. She had plenty to offer Daryl. Or so she tried, unsuccessfully, to convince herself.

Seeing Daryl added something new and exciting to look forward to everyday. Making her life a bit more exciting. It wasn't that Beth was unhappy with her and Madalyn's life. She loved Madalyn and wouldn't trade their life together for anything. Daryl just gave her another reason to smile. Gave her something to look forward to. She pathetically looked forward to his texts, or sometimes a phone call after Madalyn was in bed for the night. They would talk well into the night and Beth committed to memory the way his voice softened when he became tired.

Today though, she worked the lunch as well as the dinner shift at the diner and wouldn't see Daryl until Monday. She was a big girl, didn't need to seem him everyday. Yet, it unsettled her just how crestfallen she was that she would not see him until the following week. Adding to her unsettled mind, it didn't help things that Madalyn had been extra fussy, heading straight into the terrible twos apparently. Openly defiant, fighting Beth and then being an angel for Patrica. Beth tried not to take it personally. Still, it left her feeling wounded and a bit weapy. The tiny headache blooming at the back of her skull didn't help matters either.

She still smiled pretty for the customers and tried to keep her head in her work. Waiting tables wasn't brain surgery, but, heaven forbid, she bring Dawn the Tuna Melt instead of the Tuna on Rye. She was a regular, coming in about once a week, and was particular. And if she wasn't happy with her meal she had no qualms letting Beth know as much.

"Lightly toasted." Dawn instructed in her tight lipped manner.

"With a pickle on the side?" Beth asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes." Dawn handed off the menu, dismissing Beth. Beth waited until her back was turned before she rolled her eyes. Rounding the corner at the counter, she clipped the order to the order wheel in alcove leading to the kitchen.

"Tuna on Rye." Beth informed Abe.

Standing at the griddle, without turning, he spoke over his shoulder and asked, "Lightly toasted?"

"You got it." Abe, as well, knew the particulars of Dawn Lemer.

"And don't forget that pickle," Rosita said from where she stood next to Abe. Rosita was another waitress that often shared Friday's shift with Beth. 

If Beth wasn't mistaking, she thought Rosita and Abe had something going. She noticed Rosita spending a little longer than necessary in the kitchen. Abe's long lingering view landing on Rosita. Rosita's smile staying a little longer on Abe. She was happy for them, they were good people and deserved happiness. But they were not fooling anyone in their inability to hide what was happening between them.

Coming in on the noon hour the diner was bustling with activity. It wasn't a large diner by any means, it kept her and Rosita busy just the same. Especially on Fridays. Beth picked up another order and rounded the counter in time to see another group had entered the diner and were piling into a corner booth. 

 Amused, her heart kicked up a beat.

After delivering the order to table five, a family with four rambunctious children, she went to the waitress station. Rosita came up behind her, tray poised in the air, and asked "Ya' got this? They look a little mischievous," she said, nodding her head to the newly occupied booth.

"Oh yeah. They can't be any worse than the kids at table five. I can handle 'em." Beth reassured, laughing good humoredly. She didn't really mind the kids, or the group of men in the corner booth.

Making her way over the to the booth, she handed out menus to Rick and Tyreese. "Well. What brings ya'll in today. Dontcha' work?" She teased.

"Hey now. A person's gotta' eat." Rick spoke up first.

"Uh huh. I suppose so," Beth responded, handing Daryl a menu, his finger brushing past hers on the underside of the menu.

"How are ya today, Beth?" Daryl asked.

The guys obviously knew they'd been spending time together, still Beth wanted to play it cool. In small towns people liked to talk. Whether it was the truth or not. It was a wonder Daryl didn't already know about Madalyn. She knew she was sitting on a ticking time bomb with that one, but she had no idea how he felt about her, let alone how he would feel about a child. Why complicate things before there was anything _to_ complicate?

Her smile brightened for Daryl and the brush of his finger on hers went straight to her belly. "I'm good Daryl." This was a nice surprise, she would take this over not seeing him at all. "How are you doin'?"

"I'm good, thanks." He held her line of vision a second, or was it longer, until Rick awkwardly cleared his throat and Beth jumped back to reality.

"Oh umm…." Quickly pulling out her order pad she asked, "What can I start ya'll off with?"

Beth knew she was sunk. She could try to keep her distance from Daryl all she wanted, but knew it was no use. She wanted him in her life. If he didn't feel that way, she would be crushed yet again. The question was whether or not her heart could withstand another crushing. When you care about people, hurt is part of the package, she supposed. And Daryl seemed to be worth it.

Feeling conflicted, she went back to the waitress station and began filling their drink orders. Placing them on a tray she began walking back to their table, just passing the family with four children. A boy of about the age of three, bolted from his chair making a beeline for the door. The mother on the other side of the table jumped from her seat, yelling the child's name. Jim, Jack, Bob...whatever. Beth reacted by balancing the tray of drinks on her upheld palm and grabbed the child by his shoulder lest he run out the door into traffic. The child became tangled in his own legs, knocking Beth back a step and her tray went crashing to the ground, splashing who of all people? Dawn Lemer, of course.

The diner went still, all eyes on Beth and the mess now at her feet. In slow motion Beth looked from the mess to the little boy frozen by the deafening sound, his bottom lip protruding, then to Daryl. A flush of embarrassment reddened her cheeks.

"You stupid little idiot." Dawn's sharp reprimand broke the silence. At first Beth thought she was speaking to her, then she realized Dawn was scowling at the child who, with huge eyes, stared back at her terrified.

"Now, Ms. Lemer, that is uncalled for." Beth told Dawn politely. "He's just a child."

All kids act up now and then. Her own daughter was no different. Protectively Beth put her hands on the boy's shoulders and steered him away from Dawn and to his mother her swooped him up in his arms, sending her thanks to Beth with a nod of her head.

"A stupid child nonetheless. Shouldn't be out in a public restaurant if he can't sit still. And you, you clutz!" Dawn continued her breament. By then Abe was behind Beth with a mop and bucket. Kneeling down, she began to assist him in picking up the cups, which were thankfully plastic.

"Don't you ignore me, you…."

Dawn's shrill censure stopped abruptly. Daryl's voice, calm, yet authoritative, a different tone Beth had yet to hear from him, intoned. "You best not finish that sentence, lady."

"Well...I...but…" Dawn stammered, eyes growing wide. Daryl could easily intimidate anyone with a mere look. He never reached the point of violence because he never had to. The average person backed down on their own accord. Unless they were particularly dense in the head.

"I think it's best you leave." Placing a hand on the back of her chair he scooted it out. "Now."

Speechlessly indigent, Dawn grabbed up her purse and hurried out the door without a word to say in rebuttal. The whole diner erupted in applause.

On her knees trying to scoop up ice, Abe saw the emotion quivering in Beth's eyes, and taking the plastic cup still in hands and spoke up. "Beth why don't ya' take your break now."

"Oh, are you mad? I'm really sorry." Beth fretted. As far as she could tell, Abe was a good man and a fair boss. Maybe at one time he had a feisty side with a quick temper, but she had never witnessed it.

"No, not at all hun. Me and Rosita can clean this up. Right Rosita? He asked as she came from the kitchen with more napkins.

"Sure can. No biggie."

"Maybe you and your friend can take a breather outside." His use of the word friend told Beth he knew Daryl was more than that. The spark between them didn't fool even Abe.

"Okay." A break with Daryl was just what she needed. "If you're sure?"

"Go on now." Abe said and that wink that he gave Daryl didn't escape Beth's notice.

Daryl took Beth's hand, lightly pulled her to her feet, and with a hand on the small of her back he led her outside and around back to the small parking lot reserved for the people that worked in the few shops on that side of town.

Without a word, Daryl pulled her close, enveloping her in his strong protective arms. And that's when the dam burst. She was tired of being strong. Always handling things because she had to. Because she had no other choice. Being alone for the last two years, longer than that if she were being honest with herself. And here was this man, someone that appeared to want to be there for _her_ , pulling her into his arms. Pent up emotion rushed from her eyes as Daryl's arms tightened around her body. And he just held her, waiting for her tears to subside.

Once they did slow, Beth pulled a tissue from her pocket that all mom's seem to have, and wiped her face, apologizing watery, "Daryl, I'm so sorry."

He pulled her back into his arms, "There ain't no reason to be sorry. That woman was a bitch. She's lucky she didn't leave with a size 11 workboot up her ass."

Snorting out a laugh, she looked up at Daryl. "Thanks for that."

Brushing a stray hair from her damp face, he was taken back at how beautiful she was. Even with a tear streaked face, her lips were slightly swollen, her cheeks brilliantly pink and her eyes sparkling. Before he thought better of it, the words came out of his mouth. "You're beautiful."

Bashfully she looked down, feeling anything but beautiful. "Na' I ain't."

"Don't do that to yourself. Ya' are."

Before she had a chance to rebuke Daryl, he placed his palms on her cheeks, burying his fingers in her hair pulling slightly eliciting enticing little pins of pain through her scalp as his lips captured hers. Leaning into him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, running up his back to cup his broad shoulders. Leaning on him. With him, she was no longer alone.

Pulling back before one thing led to another in the back parking lot of the diner, Daryl's hands drifted from her face to her shoulders, then her waist. Still embracing one another, his voice a bit more rougher than before, he asked, "Hey, um, can I take you out tomorrow? Like on a real date. To a restaurant. Other than the diner." She seemed to need a break, and he was more than happy to give her one.

His kiss had dried up her tears, and his words got the response he wanted. A smile.

"A date?"

"Yeah," he smiled.

Excitement built in her belly, then she remembered there was no way that could happen. "That would be great. But I can't." No matter how badly she wanted to be with Daryl, she didn't want to leave Madalyn tomorrow night too. Loosening his grip slightly, she stepped out from his arms.

"Why can't you?" He had yet to question her strange schedule, but it was starting to make him worried. Why could he never see her in the evenings or on the weekends? "Ya' married or somethin'?" He asked with a half grin, his eyes giving away his nervousness.

"No. Nothin' like that. I jus' can't, okay?" Taking a few steps from Daryl she leaned against the brick outer wall of the diner.

"You can only see me at lunch time. It's kinda weird."

Feeling defensive, she asked, "I have to work. I have to go to school."

"I just wanna see you. For more than an hour at a time," he admitted.

"I know. I want to see you too." Frustration began inkling through her system and she impatiently yanked her already tousled hair from it's hair tie and ran her hand through it as it fell around her shoulders. "It's just not easy."

Standing in front of her he asked, "Why isn't it easy? I understand you work. Gotta' go to school." He admired her for that. For her dedication. Something just wasn't adding up.

Beth took a deep breath. Time to come clean. He deserved her honesty.

"Daryl, I have something I need to tell you."

She needed to tell him about Madalyn. It was becoming more apparent their feelings for each other were growing, and she did not want him to think she was trying to hide the fact she had a daughter. The longer she waited the harder it would be.

"Are ya' really married?" He was kidding when he said that, the actual idea, however, made his stomach do a quivery thing. Shoving his hands in his pockets he stood before her waiting for whatever it was she had to say.

"I'm not married," she mumbled with a trace of a smile, fiddling with the hem of her apron.

"Then what is it...I mean it can't that bad? You can tell me anythin'" he reassured.

Taking a deep breath, she blurted, "I have a daughter."

Daryl looked at her. Then at the ground beneath his feet, hearing his heartbeat beginning to drum in his ears. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

_How could she have a kid? She's only twenty one, how old could the kid be?_

"Her name is Madalyn."

"Madalyn?" He repeated, nodding his head. It was a pretty name. He finally looked up at her to discover she stood only a few inches from him.

"Please don't be mad. I wasn't purposefully hiding her from you. I just can't bring anyone into my daughter's life. I hope you understand. I mean, what if she met a guy I was dating and she became attached. Then we break up and she gets hurt. I can't let that happen."

He did understand, but..."Well damn, Beth." No malice in his voice, he spoke in almost a whisper.

She took his hand in hers, waiting until he looked at her. "I want you to understand, need you to understand," she amended. "I'm not looking for a daddy for her. She has all she needs in me. And I am not apologizing for having her. She is the best, most perfect, part of my life. Her existence is why I am here today." That wasn't just something she simply said to add impact to her reasoning, it was the actual truth. "But I do apologize for not telling you from day one."

All the loose ends started to fall into place. Why she had to work two jobs. Why she was never able to see him on a weeknight, or weekends for that matter. Why she worked so hard to get her degree. She was not only doing it for herself. She was doing it for her daughter.

"How old is she?"

Beth couldn't read his voice. She knew he had to be surprised and she wouldn't blame him if he was hurt also.

"Eighteen months."

"So, about two years?" Daryl's heart broke to imagine Beth going through that. Most likely alone. She had mentioned a riff between her and Maggie...was this the cause of it?

"And her dad?"

"Doesn't have anything to do with her." She would save that piece of the story for another time. Baby steps.

Even though he never understood how a man can skip out on his own child, he had to admit he was slightly revealed. "Jackass."

"Yes, you're right about that," Beth chuckled.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Daryl asked "So when do you think you will feel comfortable with me meeting her?"

Beth blew out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I'm not sure when." She said, undecided. Just because Daryl seemed like a good guy, a great guy actually, didn't mean he was. There were plenty of bad people in this world and it was her job to protect her child from such people. Telling him was step one, the actual meeting would take a bit longer.

Curious, she asked, "Would you like to meet her?"

"Yeah...I think I would."

She leaned up on her toes pressing her lips on his. A quick chaste kiss, but it held so much heat, so much potential for more that Daryl pulled her close again. Almost completely forgetting himself and where they were, he buried his hand in the back of her hair, tugging slightly, forcing her head to angle towards him and his mouth. When he pulled back she saw in his eyes he wasn't upset or angry at all.

"Beth, I'm not so good with words but believe me when I say...you and me...I'm serious 'bout us. I would never do anything to purposely hurt you. Or Madalyn."


	7. Chapter 7 - Wildflower

**More Bethyl fluff. I would apologize, but I'm not sorry. lol As always thank you so much for reading/commenting.**

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"She's got a kid?"

Daryl nodded, took a deep swig from the bottle of Budweiser. He and Rick sat at Rick's kitchen table after a late dinner. Occasionally Rick invited Daryl or Tyreese or another guy from the shop over for dinner. Today, after Daryl returned to lunch at the diner, he had been quiet all afternoon, ruminating over what Beth had told him. Well, he was more quiet than his normal quiet. Noticing that, Rick invited him over for dinner. "Probably just something simple, fried chicken or a casserole," he had said. If Lori had a problem with Rick bringing home his wayward employees, Daryl couldn't tell. She was always very welcoming, greeting him with a hug and a warm smile. Asking him about work, or how the progress on his cabin was coming along.

Though, Daryl would never admit it aloud, he envied Rick and his family. He had, on more than one occasion, confided in Daryl the troubles he and Lori had had over the years. Rick always emphasised it was worth it. That fighting for his marriage and his children would always be priority one. Daryl respected that. He knew he could always confide in Rick as well. Which is why he chose to tell him about Beth having a daughter.

"She has a kid," Daryl confirmed, nodding his head once, concentrating on peeling the label off the beer bottle.

"And how do you feel 'bout that?"

Leaning back in his chair, Daryl took a deep breath. "I'm okay with it." More than okay with it actually. It was a package deal, no doubt. With Beth came her daughter. And he wanted Beth, and that meant the kid came with her.

"Of course you're okay with it," Rick agreed. "You're a good guy So, you two? You're gettin' along fine?"

"Yeah, it's only been a month or so since I even met her. Which is friggin' crazy. I feel like she's always been there, ya' know." After a long work week and a couple beers, Daryl may of been feeling a little buzzed.

Rick began to chuckle, looking down, shaking his head.

"What?" Daryl questioned.

"Man." Rick paused, took a pull from his own beer, "You go it bad."

"Got what bad?" He asked, as if he already didn't know.

"You 'n Beth. You got it so bad for her. And I gotta' say. It's 'bout damn time."

"What the hell ever." Daryl spoke without malice. Because he knew it to be true. As true as the sun was going to come up the next morning. As true as he would take his next breath.

"I still have my tux from when Lori and me got married. I'll gladly stand as your best man at the weddin'." Rick lifted his beer and lightly clinked it to Daryl's in a tiny toast of sorts.

Marriage? A shot of not necessarily fear, but something uncomfortable hit his gut. Marriage? What the hell was Rick talking about? He had to admit that the idea didn't scare him as much as he thought it would.

. . .

The afternoon went way better than the morning did. Beth felt a weight lifted from her shoulders after telling Daryl about Madalyn. He took it well and now that it was out in the open she no longer would feel the need to hide such a huge portion of her life from Daryl.

Still, she was thankful it was the end of the day and she and Madalyn were in their pajamas. Dinner done, some school work finished up, shower for Beth, bath for Madalyn and they were snuggled up in their usual place in the rocking chair in the corner of the living room.

Madalyn was a few minutes from sleep, resting her head on Beth's shoulder, her face nestled into Beth's neck as she rocked her back and forth. This was getting more and more difficult as Madalyn grew bigger, but for now she would soak up every second she had. Soon enough Madalyn would be too big for this.

Beth leaned her head back and closed her eyes, becoming aware of her body finally relaxing, becoming aware of the weight of Madalyn on her body, aware of the soapy scent of Madalyn's hair from her bath. Becoming aware of Madalyn's even, slow breathing. Beth felt more at peace in that moment than she had in a very long time. Telling Daryl was definitely the right thing to do.

She, herself, was beginning to doze when her phone buzzed on the end table next to her. Lifting her head that had lolled back against the chair unwinding one arm from Madalyn, she picked up her phone. Seeing Daryl's name across the screen a small sleepy smile spread her lips. Balancing the phone in her one free hand, she slid her thumb across the screen…

 _What are you doin?_ Daryl's text read.

Beginning to type a response then deciding to show him her glorious life, she clicked off the text and onto the camera. Flipping the camera view around, she framed in herself and Madalyn snuggled into her and snapped a picture. Glancing at it briefly, she noted she looked tired. Her hair was up in a messy bun on the top of her head and she was wearing yet another ragged tank top. But, she sent it anyway. This was her. Her life with Madalyn. It wasn't glamorous or necessarily exciting. It was what it was and she was happy with it.

Clicking send, she waited as time went by at a snail's pace for a response from Daryl. When his text finally came through and whole two minutes later, she clicked on it.

_See. Just like I said. Ur beautiful. The both of you._

Beth's heart fluttered like a teenage girl, inwardly she rolled her eyes feeling anything but beautiful, and typed out the word _Whatever,_ adding a little smiley emoji.

Then before he had a chance to reply, she asked, _Want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?_ Waiting till Monday at lunch was just too long to wait. _After Madalyn is in bed._

Now that he knew of Madalyn, she felt she could have him over to her place and not have to hide the baby girl paraphernalia that is strewed all over the house.

_Sure, I'd like that._

. . .

The following night Beth fed Madalyn a little early, got her into the tub and through their evening routine, putting her to bed. Thankfully she went down easily enough. And then Beth fussed and fretted over the apartment, fussed over the dinner she had prepared, and puzzled over what to wear. The moment she answered the door, though, and saw him standing there in his button down shirt, one similar to the one he wore to Maggie and Glenn's party, hair still wet and smelling fresh from a shower, her nerves melted away. Arms behind his back, a perfect gentlemen, he bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You look beautiful." He wasn't one to offer up compliments, especially if they weren't true. With her, he was sincere; complimenting her came easy. The words flowing from his mouth.

They were just words that anyone could say, but she knew he never said a thing he didn't mean and that made her _feel_ beautiful. She wore a western cut purple plaid top with pearl snaps, a matching purple thin strapped tank underneath. Finishing her outfit, were white jeans that Maggie had given her that she never wore, because they were, well, white. A mom/waitress/housecleaner just could not wear white. Since tonight was somewhat a special occasion she pulled them out of the bottom of her dresser drawer and slipped them on. She had to admit they hugged her curves nicely. They made her feel more like a woman, and less like a mom. Something she had never really felt.

"Thanks, flattery will get you everywhere, dontcha' know." She flirted as she turned and went into the kitchen half of the room. "Come on in," she said, gesturing with a hand.

At the counter she began ripping up lettuce and dropping the pieces into a bowl when she turned to look over at him still standing in the doorway. Beth hadn't noticed before, but he held a large bouquet of wildflowers; Daisy's, Black Eyed Susan's, Baby Blue Eyes, Corn Flowers. Even a few leaves of a giant Fern.

"Daryl! They are beautiful," she squealed almost embarrassingly. She took the flowers from him and sniffed them.

"Ain't nothin' just some wildflowers."

"Wildflowers are better 'n store bought roses any day."

Daryl wondered what it was about flowers that made women go so nuts. Seeing her get so excited over a few weeds he'd picked for her gave him a perplexing feeling in his gut, a lightness in his chest. _Dammit. Is this what love feels like?_ he cursed. Thinking back over his life, in all his thirty-one years, he was sure he'd never been in love before. Thought maybe he was at one time with Andrea. If he had any question if that was love, he was sure as hell positive it sure wasn't. No where near it.

Beth turned from the sink, the flowers in a chipped vase and looked at him peculiarly.

"You look funny. You okay?"

He cleared the uncertainty from his throat, this was new territory for him, and said, "Nothin'. Jus' wondering why women get so excited over flowers."

"Oh. They're just so pretty, I guess." She placed the flowers in the center of the small kitchen table circa 1970 complete with bumpy famica top. Beth hoped he didn't notice how everything was second, or third hand.

Changing the subject from flowers, and what was floating around in his mind, to the dinner that smelled almost heavenly, he questioned, "What are we having? I'm starvin'."

"Good. I've made enough spaghetti to feed an army."

Daryl was pleased to hear she made something uncomplicated. He was a good ol' meat and potatoes kind of guy. Anything fancy turned his stomach. But spaghetti, that was definitely edible.

"Sounds great."

It wasn't their first meal they'd had together, but it was their first meal sitting at a table, eating real food and not take out from the diner. And as they finished up their meal, of which Daryl had two helpings, he insisted on helping her with the dishes. Beth loved the sensation of normalcy it gave her. Standing side by side, doing the dishes. She washed while he dried. With help, they were done in no time.

Drying his hands on the towel he used to dry the dishes, he said, "Here I will just throw these leftovers into the fridge." He picked up the bowl covered with foil and opened the fridge. He was shocked to find the shelves almost bare, except for a few take-out boxes from the diner. His bachelor pad refrigerator had more food stocked than this one met for Beth and her child.

She turned from the sink, noticing he was still standing in front of her refrigerator. His gaze went from it to her then back to the contentless refrigerator.

"Beth, where's your food?"

Feeling her face beginning to heat, she quickly spoke. "Oh I usually stop at the grocery store everyday. Only buying what I need for that day." Fact of the matter was she only bought enough to make Madalyn healthy meals, then she picked at whatever was left over from the diner containers or what Madalyn didn't eat.

Daryl closed the refrigerator door. He went to her putting his hands on her hips pulling her close. He wanted to protect her, to help her in anyway he could, but he knew better than to bring up the offer. Her strong will, her strong sense of self sufficiency wouldn't hear of his wanting to help her. So, instead he placed a kiss to her forehead. All in due time.

Changing the subject completely he asked, "So, do I getta' peek at her?"

Beth's eyes flashed surprise. "Madalyn?" She asked. "Sure," she said happily.

Leading him through the small living room and down the even smaller hall to the bedroom on the left. A warm glow was cast off by a small lamp with a pink shade that sat on a dresser. It was a tiny room. His own room he shared with Merle growing up wasn't a whole lot bigger. He felt this little girl deserved more. So did her Mama.

Beth, quietly, walked over to the crib and leaned her forearms on the railing. He followed her but stood a step back, not really sure how to react. Beth traced the outline of the baby's chubby cheek with her finger. Daryl, yet to look at Madalyn, was mesmerized by Beth. The softness that came over her face. The affection and love and protectiveness she obviously felt for Madalyn was so great he was surprised it didn't float in the air like smoke from a recently extinguished candle.

Finally he looked down to the sleeping child. She wore a white long sleeved shirt and a diaper with little blue and white cloud's around the band. Her cheeks pink from sleep, her curly blonde hair, matching her mom's perfectly, surrounded her head like a halo. Daryl was awestruck. It was the mini-version of Beth. He'd never seen a more perfect tiny human in his life. He took a step closer to her crib, tentatively placing his hands on the railing.

Still looking at the baby, he whispered, "She's perfect." He felt an overwhelming need to protect her from whatever this dark cruel world would dish at her.

Touched by his words, Beth placed her hand over his. "I think so too. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love her more than anythin'. Some days I'm dumbfounded because I feel I don't deserve her. Don't deserve her love." Then almost in a whisper, "That I don't deserve to be her Mama."

"Don't say that," Daryl pleaded, looking from Madalyn to Beth. "Don't say that. You do deserve her. And she is just as deserving having you as a Mama. Far as I see it, she's the damn luckiest kid in the world."

Beth sniffled, on the verge of tears that thankfully didn't fall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so serious on ya'," trying to hide her tears with a smile.

"Don't 'pologize. I get it. I really do." His eyes going back to Madalyn.

After a moment or two Beth led him back out to the living room. Sitting down on the couch, Daryl patted the cushion next to him and she gladly obliged, sitting next to him. Now that it was quiet and dinner was out of the way, and he saw Madalyn, Beth became nervous again. Looking around the tiny home she and Madalyn shared, everything seemed to scream just how destitute she really was. Shame burned her throat and her eyes burned inexplicably. She hadn't lived these past two year. She survived. Getting by on the bare minimum. She cared very little what people thought of her. Didn't have much extra time _to_ care. But, Daryl was different. What he thought did matter. It was important for him to see she wasn't just looking for a man to take care of her and her fatherless child.

As if sensing she was loosing herself in her thoughts, Daryl placed a hand on her knee and said, "Ya' know. I don't think you realize just how amazin' you really are."

Beth made a sound of disbelief. "Oh?" She said, for lack of anything better to say.

"You're raisin' that little girl all on your own."

"I have Maggie's help. And Patricia, Madalyn's babysitter, helps a lot."

"Yeah, but it's mostly just you, ain't it?" Cautiously he spoke. She hadn't volunteered much information, he didn't want to push her. Yet at the same time, he wanted...no, he craved, to know everything about her. Her favorite food, her favorite movie, hell, even her favorite color. Anything just to feel closer to her.

Nervously, Beth rose a chewed nail to her mouth, stopping short of chewing it more. She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

Tersely, she stood, his hand regretfully falling from her thigh, and went over to the sink. Picking up the scrub brush she began washing the pan she had previously left in the sink to soak. She pleaded with Daryl in her mind to not ask her any more questions. A guy like him wouldn't want to deal with the amount of baggage she had to carry. How she wished she were more confident. Like Maggie. If Beth were to share her uncertainties with her sister, Maggie would tell her that if Daryl would dump her just because of a 'little baggage' then he wasn't worth having anyway. And Beth knew this to be true in her mind. Her heart, however, held its own brain. One that said to not screw this up. Daryl was the first man to make her feel like a woman. The first man to really get her heart beating. The first man to see her as someone special, someone worth having.

Scrubbing away at the pan, she felt Daryl's arms come up around her. She didn't hear him stand, didn't hear his footsteps. He was just suddenly there. And his lips were grazing the side of her neck, sending goosebumps on her flesh. His hand grasped the edge of the sink on either side of her, capturing her.

Whispering words in his deep gravely voice, he said, "Ya' are, though."

She had to focus more on his words and less on what his lips were doing to her body. But how could she? He could melt her with just a touch.

"Are what?" She breathed.

"Amazin'. You are a great mom. You're hard working. Smart." He sifted her hair further off her neck, granting his lips access to the sensitive skin just behind her ear.

"Daryl…" she began a rebuttal.

Suddenly his fingers were encircling her wrists and he was spinning her around to face him. Looking intently into her eyes, before crushing his mouth down on hers, sending a grating moan from her throat. Though her hands were still dripping wet, she combed her fingers through his hair, clasping them behind his neck. Pulling him down to her, pushing her body up against his. His hands traveled from her hips, up her ribcage. Before his hands had a chance to cup her small, but perfectly rounded breasts, he stopped. Pulling back, leaving them both wanting more.

Slightly lacking full breath, he asked, "Where have ya' been all my life?"

"Right here. Waiting for you."


	8. Chapter 8 - Break

"So, the other night when I was lettin' Scooter out before bed," Patricia began over coffee, speaking of her dog that was half Shih tzu, half mutt, "I noticed a truck parked out on the curb there," she nodded to the curb in front of Beth's house with her chin, casually taking a drink of coffee.

"Oh?" Beth asked, cutting up another strawberry for Madalyn's breakfast. Most day's Beth was in a rush to get to work or school, but on occasion she was able to sit down and have coffee with Patricia and feed Madalyn her breakfast before heading off for the day.

"Do you know who that was? I mean, not too many people park along the road here."

"It could be anyone," Beth tried to play it off. And what she said was true, it could've been anyone. Except it wasn't. It was Daryl. Just the thought of him made her heart skip a beat.

"Saw him head 'round to your stairs. Tall man. Good lookin'. Had a bouquet of flowers…." Patricia pushed, a grin hid behind her 'Worlds Best Grandma' mug.

"Okay! Twist my arm why dontcha'," Beth laughed. Truth was, she was dying to tell someone about Daryl. And Maggie wasn't that person yet. She would tell her sister if things continued to progress. Just not right now. Their wounds were too fresh from their last falling out. And to be honest, Beth wasn't sure Maggie would approve. For now, there was no need to get ahead of herself. Patricia was more of the motherly type. Loving Beth unconditionally. She would be ecstatic for Beth if she were to find happiness.

"His name is Daryl," Beth admitted aloud. It felt good to say it. To tell someone. "He's a mechanic at Grime's Auto and he's…" Beth had to stop herself from saying something embarrassing, something like he's so totally hot. Even though he was.

"Is he nice to ya'? Nice to Madalyn?" Patricia asked.

And, of course, that would be Patricia's main concern; how he treats her.

"Yes, he's very sweet. He hasn't actually met Madalyn yet, though. He saw her when she was asleep. He seemed very taken by her."

"And why wouldn't he be?" Patricia asked matter of factly. "You both are wonderful people. Anyone would be lucky to have you." Patricia reached across the table and lightly pinched at Madalyn's nose.

Beth agreed, anyone would be lucky to have Madalyn in their life. It still saddened her to think the man the helped create her wanted nothing to do with her. Even after everything that went down, even after he did what he did, it upset her.

"But you're worried." Patricia observed.

Shrugging her shoulders, Beth couldn't lie to Patricia. Had no reason to. "Yeah. I mean, he seems like a great guy now, but…"

"But what if he turns out like Madalyn's daddy?" Beth had confided in Patrica some time ago about Gareth and for the first time she received understanding and kindness regarding the situation. Maggie went off the handle and freaked out. Overprotective as always. That wasn't what Beth needed at that time. Patricia had listened with an understanding ear. Only caring that Beth was okay.

Taking a deep breath, after all this time she still felt emotional when the subject, though rarely, came up. "How can I risk that with her? It's my job to protect her."

"Yes, it is your job to protect her. But, you can't live the rest of your life alone just because someone might or might not be a bad guy. I know it's hard, but you gotta' learn to trust again. Trust life again, babygirl."

. . .

Patricia's words stayed with Beth all morning. To the point where she could hardly concentrate on anything else, including class. During their fifteen minute break in the middle of the four hour class, Beth usually sought out a bench in the middle of the school's quad area. Just those few minutes of sun usually refreshed her for the remaining two hours of class. The Coke she bought from the soda machine in the cafeteria helped a little too. This is where she sat that late morning mulling over what Patricia had said.

She did need to trust again.

Scrolling through Facebook on her phone, halfway tempted to change her relationship status to 'in a relationship' - knowing she shouldn't, at least not until she told Maggie about Daryl. Instead, she switched over to a selfie she took with Daryl the other day at lunch. Beth had took a little more time preparing for lunch that day. Packing a blanket so they could spread out on the grass while they ate. Daryl, smirking in the picture. Obviously a tad uncomfortable, yet he had indulged Beth when she wanted to take a picture of the two of them.

A shadow fell over her and she practically jumped out of her skin when she looked up to find a fellow student standing behind the bench.

Tara was warm and friendly. Pretty with dark hair cut off at the chin. Curvy and vivacious, Beth envied her free style and ability to look great in any outfit she put together.

"Hey there Beth, whatcha' doin'?" Tara asked, rounding the bench, she plopped down next to her. Quickly Beth clicked the power button in her phone and the screen went dark, hopefully before Tara had a chance to see the picture of her and Daryl. Not that she had anything to hide.

"Oh nothing. Jus' trying to stay awake through break." Beth held up the can of Coke.

"Right. Class gets so boring toward the end of the semester. It's like just give me my diploma already."

Beth let out a laugh at Tara's bluntness. Apparently she too was anxious to get on with her life. Just as Beth was.

"So me and Amy," Tara began speaking of another nursing student, "are going to blow off the second had of class. It's just too nice out to sit inside a boring classroom. Go down to the dock. Just chill out for a while, ya' know?" The dock was a large inland man made lake where a lot of teenagers in town spent their time.

Beth vaguely remembered the idea of chilling out. Now she preferred spending her downtime with Madalyn hanging out in her pajamas.

"Want to come with?" She ventured asking Beth to join them. She had been wanting to hang out outside of class for a while, but Beth had kept putting her off. Her schedule was jammed pack as it was. Leaving very little time for a social life. Tara always seemed to understand, knowing Beth had a daughter and worked more than one job.

Tara must of read the look on her face because she elbowed her lightly, "Come on. Have a little fun. It won't kill ya'."

"I know. But I have to work after class. Won't leave much time to go out to the dock and back."

Reluctantly Tara gave up and smiled sweetly. "It's okay. Some other time." Just like she always did when Beth turned her down.

Letting out a breath of frustration, Beth watched as Tara walked away joining Amy, and making their getaway to the parking lot. Even when Beth was younger she didn't have much of a social life. So hell bent on doing well in school with the goal of getting out of this town and away from her mother, she burrowed her nose in her books and school work. Then she met Gareth and got pregnant. Her dreams had to be stifled in order to provide a life for Madalyn. She had different dreams now, of which included a stable life for her daughter. She knew she made the right choices...she still couldn't help but wonder where'd she be today if things ended up differently. Where would she be? Who would she be?

Feeling confused and a tad impulsive, Beth sent Daryl a text.

_Need a change of scenery. Want to meet someplace different for lunch. Other than the park._

Setting the phone down she waited for his text. Sometimes if they were busy at the shop he didn't get back to her till much later. Sometimes, though, if he was in between vehicles, he answered quicker. Today was one of those times because her phone buzzed a few seconds later.

_I know a place we could go. Slow day. Can you get away a little early?_

Without over thinking, like normal, she typed back.

_Sure. When? Where?_

After Daryl text her where to meet him, without a second thought, she left the bench and went straight to her car. Ditching the rest of her class.

Feeling reckless in the lamest sort of way, everyone was allotted a moment of freedom. And damn it, why not her. And why not with Daryl? She cranked up the radio singing loudly along with the windows rolled down. Following the road out of town, the pavement turning over to dirt, she only slightly adjusted her speed.

Following the dirt road until it became nothing more than a mere path she slowed when she saw the road sign Daryl had told her to take. As she drove she took in the scenery. The road was tunneled by trees bent rounding over the path. Pulling around the bend, Daryl's truck came into view.

Leaning against the door of his truck, he flicked a cigarette to the ground before pushing off, walking to her parked Jimmy. Opening the door for her, she greeted him with a kiss, and then she flung her arms around his shoulders, and he lifted her to the ground.

"Hey pretty lady." He said once their lips parted.

"Hey. Wow, this is beautiful."

As he sat her in her feet, she glanced around the premises. She had never been in this area before as it was quite hidden off the main road. Huge trees in full greenery shaded the yard of the small rustic looking cabin with a covered porch. Out past the house was a small lake surrounded by more trees. It was, quite frankly, breathtaking. It became apparent where they were.

"This is your place." It wasn't a question. The answer was obvious. He has told he he lived out in the country in a small cabin by a lake. Yes, this place was unequivocally Daryl. It almost screamed his name.

He nodded, taking her hand he pulled her along a path. She went with him without question around to the back of the house. It was more stunning than the front .

Daryl watched her. Just as he had envisioned that day as he sat on the back deck daydreaming of what could be. She wore cut offs and a tank. Her shoulders kissed by the early spring sun. An early morning's rain made everything more vivid. Giving him the ability to see things more clearly. Not just the scenery, but the ability to see his future with Beth more clearly.

Unable to keep his hands off her as she inspected his land, he pulled her close he asked, "Ya' hungry? I probably could scrounge up something for lunch."

Running her hands over his shoulders, those magnificent shoulders, she tilted her head up to him. "Ya' know? I'm not very hungry."

"Oh?"

"Nope." And what the hell… "I'd like to see the inside of your cabin, though."

"Alright." Slightly confused he led her inside. Thankfully Merle had gotten a job working construction the next town over and had been shacking up with some girl there. He wasn't around much making Daryl's life a tiny bit easier.

He showed her the kitchen. Living area. The spare bedroom and took her down the hall which led to his bedroom. A queen size bed sat in the middle of the room. A tall dresser on the other end with a small television on top. Bifold doors hid a closet on the other wall. Two large windows went to the hardwood scared floor on either side of the bed.

"I'm gonna build a deck out that wall," he pointed to the outside wall. "Put in French doors. That way…" he stopped himself when he almost said _we_ instead of _I,_ not wanting to scare her off just yet. Swallowing loudly, he continued. "That way I can see the water from here. And then another bedroom out the end of the hallway there."

If she was listening, he wasn't sure. She continued to stare at the bed in the middle of the room. It was unsurprisingly not made, the white sheets appeared clean and crisp. Tantalizingly asking someone to lay on them.

Whether she tugged at his hand, or he pulled her, or it was some sort of centripetal force either had no control over, they ended up inside the bedroom, a foot from the bed. And Beth was looking up at Daryl in a way he had yet to see her look. Her eyes were filled with need, her body radiated heat. Raising a hand, Daryl brushed her hair back, his thumb trailing over her perfect lips, parting and sucking the side of his thumb. Lightning shot straight through to his toes.

Beth's hands were toying with the top button of his sleeveless workshirt. She had to trust, right? She cared more for this man than she had anyone else. She thought she cared for Gareth, but that was nothing compared to what she felt for Daryl. He froze as she unbuttoned the top button, followed by the second.

"Whaddya' doin' Beth?" He questioned.

"This." She said, and slid the third button through the hole. Standing up on her toes, she lightly placed her lips to his. Before she could unbutton any more, Daryl grabbed her by her wrist and pulled back.

He was no dummy, he knew what she wanted and, good Lord, he wanted to give it to her. It was just so soon. He wanted this, but he didn't want to be sure it's what she wanted too.

"Ya' sure? Now? On our lunch break?" To say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Uh huh." And then she smiled, and Daryl forgot all logic. Lots all coherent thought and with a finger under her chin, he tipped her head back, and bent his head to kiss her hard and long. Taking it as a good sign that she didn't suddenly come to her senses and start beating the shit out of him, he pulled back and went straight to her throat. Tracing rough kisses along her skin, down her windpipe to her collarbone, while she made quick work of the rest of his buttons. Soon his shirt was hanging loose exposing broad pecs and a slight six pack and all it took was a light pushing motion to relive his shoulders of the shirt.

When his lips found hers again, Beth took it all in, committing it to memory. The scent of grease and the garage, the scent of the honeysuckle wafting through the air of the open bedroom window. The feel of his heated skin under her hands, and of course, the way his lips felt gliding over her with the slightest scratch from his constant five o'clock shadow. His kisses were doing things to her body she never experienced before. Things that were too hard to ignore. Sinking in, she pulled him down to the mattress with her.

_But...what if._

_Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up,_ she scolded herself. Trying to ignore that part of her mind and pay attention to Daryl. To his hands as they slid under her back and lifted her further up on the bed, laying her head onto his pillow. Fitting himself in between her legs.

And she felt good, so good. Her touch made his skin shiver and the tiny moans that unconsciously came from somewhere deep down inside her made him throb with sheer pleasant pain. Leaning up on his elbows to look down at her, he noticed how different their skin looked. She was porcelain and milk and he, dark and dirty.

Her hair, her skin, her blue eyes slitted with pleasure. He hated to interrupt this moment, questioned his sanity for doing so, he just had to be sure. "I really want this, really want you. But, not as some quickie at lunch." he tried to explain how he felt. To give her an out incase she changed her mind. Because why would she want to be with him?

"Honey, I have a child. Sometimes all you have time for are quickies on a lunch break," she laughed. He chuckled as well, dropping his forehead down to hers.

"I just want it to be...special." _Special?_ Yep, he said it. He'd never identified sex with being special before. This was a first for him.

Becoming serious she said with utmost certainty, "Daryl. I want you. I want this."

And that was all the reassurance he needed. Now he was able to focus on her. Before he realized what was happening, he had pulled her tank top up over her head and threw it onto the floor next to the bed.

Surprising him, and maybe herself a little, she was not shy. Didn't try to cover her now naked skin in the soft afternoon light. She did, however, pull him down onto her. Skin to skin. His chest hair teasing her nipples. So, when his mouth found her breast, her nipple was already peaked, ready for his wet tongue. Arching her back, she met his mouth. Sensations tingled from her stomach, out to her fingers and toes.

Her hands traveled down to his belt buckle, pulling the strap from the buckle, and slowly she began unzipping the fly of his navy blue work jeans.

Daryl froze suddenly. "Shit."

In response Beth froze as well thinking she had done something wrong. It had been a long time since she'd had sex, but she was pretty sure you had to unzip your jeans to do it.

"Shit," he said again. "Just a sec." He got up from the bed, giving her a quick kiss before he went out into the hallway, returning a few seconds later. No shirt, pants undone, a trail of hair leading from his belly button disappearing into his jeans and Beth could hardly breathe. Attraction was just a feeling, fleeting most of the time, but it was so strong she felt it in every orifice of her body. He strode to the bed, tossing onto the bed a square packet with a trojan horse printed on the light blue plastic covering. Thankful for Merle leaving a box of condoms behind in the bathroom.

"Oh," she said understanding now. Reaching up she pulled him back down onto the bed atop of her. His body magnificently weighed down on hers.

Kicking off his work boots, leaning up on his knees, he unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts and he helped her wiggle out of them. Somewhere buried in the back of his mind, her concave stomach and protruding ribs concerned him. Right now, though, the throbbing in his pants took precedence in his thought process.

While Daryl knelt above Beth, she leaned up facing his chest, planting wet kisses along his sternum, and then his belly. Low and lower, bending her back till she was just above his open fly. Looking out of the top of her eyes, she smiled sexily; torturously. Running his hands through her hair and onto her shoulders, he pushed lightly and she fell back onto the mattress. He kissed his way up her body while simultaneously removing his jeans and boxers. His breath was hot on her skin and she was aching, arching her body for more.

He'd had sex plenty of times, with plenty of other women. Beth was different. Her skin was softer. Breath hotter. Her ever so quiet moans were more erotic. Head spinning with heated agony, he wanted her so badly his whole body quivered with anticipation. That faint far off voice asked should he be doing this? Shouldn't he wait? Isn't that what you were supposed to do if you deeply cared for someone? You waited for the time to be right? But, right then she was doing amazing things to his body. Her tongue curving around his ear, sucking on his earlobe. And her, and oh holy fuck, her hands were tracing down the sides of his torso, curving around to his inner hips. Tracing the length of his cock so lightly with her fingertips he jumped slightly when she came into contact with him. When he felt her small hand clasp around his cock he almost lost it right then and there and knew he would if he didn't change tactics.

Rolling over, pulling her on top of him, their lips never lost contact, he hooked his thumbs in the sides of her underwear and pushed them down to her knees where she removed them the rest of the way.

Straddling him, she smiled. Her nerves were calmed by the look of adoration in his eyes. She never knew it could be like this. The sheer anticipation swirled around them. His hands cupped her chin and hoarse words ground out from his throat, "You are damned beautiful."

She flashed him her hundred watt smile and he dropped his hand from her chin to her breast, down to her hip, he angled his hand in such a way that his thumb brushed the wetness between her legs. A thrill shot through her, curling her toes.

His free hand went back to her breast, pinching lightly and he watched as her head fell back, her hair sprawled down her sun rays filtered through the curtained window, bathing Beth in a sun kissed yellow cast.

His main focus was not to have sex, not to bury himself as deep as humanly possible inside her, though that prospect was a priority, no...right now his focus was to get Beth off. To watch her get off by his hand. So, as his thumb worked its magic, he watched as her eyes almost closed, as her pink lips parted in hushed words. A line creased between her eyebrows in concentration. Her hips rising and falling in time with his thumb, faster and faster she thrust her body.

And suddenly she stopped. Her eyes flew open. "Wait. No," voice almost panicked. She seemed to melt atop of him, his hands rounding her perfect ass. "I want you inside of me before…" some of her bravado faded. "I just want you inside of me."

That much he could give her. A fancy house? No. A brand new car each year. No. All the riches in the world. Nope. But this? This he could give her. Rounding her beneath him, he grabbed the condom and ripped it open with his teeth. She watched, somewhat in awe, as he slid the condom in place. Lowering himself to her again he touched his lips to hers. Gently. Sublimely.

Pausing before going any further, he looked down at her and said, "I want you ta' know this ain't jus' sex. I'm not lookin' to get laid. It means more than that. You're all I want. All I need." Cursing his normal reticence, he hoped those few words were enough. It's all he had to offer.

"I know.." It didn't need to be said that she felt the same. She showed him by reaching down in between them, she took his hard erect cock in her hand and, raising her hips, slid it into her waiting body.

He watched her for any sign of hesitancy and when there was none, he began to move in slow gratifying thrusts. From that moment they shared a bonding that neither had experienced before. It had never been this way, never felt this way. Daryl felt it in his boy, but also his mind.

His hands were everywhere. On her ass, on her breasts, pinching her nipples. The building of pressure in Beth's lower belly, the tightening of her muscles, reaching for an unexplainable finish. An explosion of pleasure, of white heat, Beth moaned Daryl's name and her mind went blank. It was amazing and about fucking time as her body clenched around him.

It could've been minutes, could've been hours for all Beth could tell of time, but Daryl's movements became faster, stronger. His release, riding a surge so powerful it left him weak, shaking and breathless.

He wanted to stay that way forever, buried deep inside her. Reluctantly, he pulled out and slid off of her, laying on his side he pulled her close regretting that they would soon have to dress and return to the real world. He'd die a happy man if they could just stay this way forever.


	9. Chapter 9 - Time Wasted

**Wow. So sorry for the delay but life gets in the way. A lot happens in this chapter, so I hope its not confusing. Hope you enjoy it. :) Thank you all so much for reading/commenting! PSA: It's late and I'm tired, so please forgive the mistakes.**

**A** **lso if you are interested, I wrote a one-shot on how things should go down WHEN Daryl finds out Beth is still alive. ;) http://archiveofourown.org/works/7743475 Or search Abandoned - A One-Shot**

* * *

If Beth thought sex with Daryl would quell some of her racing and conflicted thoughts about her life and how Daryl fit into it, she was sadly mistaken. It was amazing, no doubt there. And Daryl. The way he obviously cared for her. But, what was next? Where did this lead them? More quickies and lunch? No, she wanted more than that and was terrified at what and how it would all work.

And now she had to get up and go on with her day and pretend that nothing happened. Like she didn't just have the most mind blowing sex she'd ever had, with a guy, by all appearances, was her dream come true. Regretfully, Beth pulled from his arms and when they tightened on her waist and pulled her back, she said, "I gotta' go. And so do you." She tried to sound light, carefree. The way she was _supposed_ to feel.

"I know, but I don't wanna'," he mumbled into her hair. "Rick can fire me for all I care," he partially joked.

Beth squirmed out of his arms and this time he let her go. Sitting on the edge of the bed she searched for her clothing which was strone around and in the bed. Watching her as she pulled her tank top back on over her pronounced backbone. Daryl could see the side of her face, still flushed, set in a frown, her chin clasped shut. Sitting up, he inched over to her, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head sharply. "I just don't wanna' be late." No, no, she wasn't okay. This only complicated things further. What was she thinking? How did this make things better?

Standing up, she pulled up her shorts and slid back into her flip flops that she discarded earlier. Without looking at Daryl, she said "I'll see ya' later." And left him sitting on his bed alone.

. . .

In her car, when she was far enough away from Daryl's, she drove down another side road and pulled off to the side. Bracing her hands on the top of the steering wheel she rested her head on them and the tears began to fall knowing she had thoroughly screwed things up. Just jumping into bed with him because she was feeling lost and missed her youth that she never quite had.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She did care for him. Deeply cared for him. Sure, people did far worse with people they hardly knew. She just wasn't that kind of girl. And yes, the sex was amazing. That didn't make it right. She was a mom, and she clearly did not have her daughters best interest at heart by acting on a whim.

Oh, why didn't life come with an instruction manual, she wondered as she took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. It wasn't that she regretted being with Daryl, it was a madrid of other things. And, of course, everything had to be different now. Things could be different in a good way, she tried to reason. But her mind wouldn't allow that as a possibility. She wasn't lucky enough to have a normal relationship with a normally amazing guy like Daryl. She wasn't meant for happily ever after.

. . .

Beth went through the rest of the day in a daze. Her body hurt. No, that was the wrong word. It didn't hurt. Her body felt used in the best way possible. It ached. And as she went through the rest of her day, she could not forget, even if she really wanted to, what she and Daryl shared that afternoon at his cabin. Her body was a betrayal to what her mind wanted to forget. A constant reminder of what happened. A constant reminder of his hands, of his body, of his lips on hers.

And so, she handled this the best and most mature way possible. By avoiding Daryl. Which was easier in theory than in practice. After work, Daryl sent her a text. Just a hello, had a great time earlier. When she didn't answer, he called. She justified not answer because she was giving Madalyn her bath. Wet hands, slippery baby and a cell phone didn't mix well.

Then she felt, to put it simply, like a big asshole. Daryl didn't ask for or deserve this. She went to bed, late and exhausted with the full intention to call Daryl tomorrow after class. Which, of course, didn't happen.

They woke up late, in her distraction Beth forgot to set her alarm. Luckily, Madalyn, the human alarm clock, awoke not to much later than the real clock would've. Still, late was late. It had her rushing through their morning routine, getting Madalyn over to Patricia's and then speeding off to school where she was twenty minutes late for her clinical. And that was how her day continued to go. One mishap after the next, leaving her no time for things like phone calls or lame apologies.

When she finally reached the end of the day, exhausted and defeated and had a chance to look at her phone to see two missed texts and a missed phone call. Reluctantly, she peered at the missed texts, one form Daryl. Another said unknown number. Curiously she clicked onto that text and as she read it, a strange, yet familiar, feeling wrapped around her belly.

The text only read two words; _Miss me?_

Hands shaking she quickly deleted the text. It was an error, that's all. Someone had sent her the text by mistake.

Needing to talk to someone, anyone really, with a warm voice she dialed Patricia's number. She just wanted to know she and Madalyn were safe. Which, of course, they were. Why wouldn't they be? But the phone call wouldn't go through and when she brought the phone back down to peer at it with frustration, she realized why the call refused to go through. Today was the fifteenth, the payment for her cell phone was due and she didn't have the free cash to pay it until the end of the week when she got paid.

Huffing a sigh of frustration, she threw her phone into the passenger seat and started up the car and drove home where at least she knew of one thing to be steady and real in this tumultuous world she lived in and that was her daughter. She yearned to pick up Madalyn and drive straight to Daryl's house and into his arms. Her life was not Daryl's problem though, she reminded herself. She was a big girl and would handle her life on her own. Just like she always had. And Daryl? He would eventually see he got off easy. He'd see he was lucky not having her in his life.

It was times like these Beth wished she was a drinker. To just reach for a bottle of some sort of alcoholic substance and get obliterated. Of course, she wasn't able to do that and still parent and truth be told, she really want to do that. So she lay awake alone her bed. The night was long and quiet and dark. Beth hated the dark. It had a way of warping things. Making mistakes seem bigger. Making her self induced heartache feel shaper. Making the heavy weight on her chest more painful.

. . .

Why wasn't she answering her phone? Well at first she wasn't answering her phone or his texts. Now the phone just went straight to voicemail and the texts came back undelivered. And while the sound of her chipper voice in her outgoing message made the corner of his lip turn up, Daryl was beginning to become worried.

He had continued to text her, just incase her phone did work and she somehow still received his texts. Trying to give her space after their little lunch time escapade, but now this was becoming ridiculous. He wanted to see her, damn it. Needed to see her. When he found her, he had no idea what he might say, or what she might want to hear. Just the same, he would find her and he would make her talk. As he was going to tell Rick he needed an hour to hunt Beth down either at her work or school or home, a familiar voice caught his attention.

. . .

As the week went on Beth felt more and more overactive. By day three of no contact with Daryl she had realized what a mistake she made by ignoring him. He had been so good to her and it was her decision to have sex anyway. _She_ had almost jumped _him_ , after all. All around he had been nothing but near perfection. He was so kind at dinner, not seeming to notice the almost dump she lived in and he really seemed to understand why she held back on telling him about Madalyn. Her heart quivered when she thought back on the way he looked at her daughter. It made her fall even harder than she already had.

It was a lot for anyone to take in, she knew. She wouldn't be surprised if he took off for the hills, relieved he'd dodged that bullet. Hoping he didn't really feel that way, she had to at least apologize to him for her behavior, whether he took her back or not.

So, since it was a bit too early for lunch, she ordered two pieces of the diner's notorious peach pie, that she paid for with change she found on her car floor, and walked over to the garage. Entering through the bay door Daryl usually worked at, peering around the shop, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Daryl was nowhere to be found.

"Oh hey Rick, where'd Daryl wander off to?" She asked Rick who stood at one of the mechanics stations signing off on some paperwork. He glanced up at her and then back down to his paperwork, his head shooting up again when he saw it was Beth.

"Beth." He seemed surprised she was there. Had Daryl told him they weren't seeing each other anymore, she fretted. "What are you doin' here?"

"Just came to see Daryl. Is he 'round?"

Rick glanced at the door leading to the customer entrance. "In here?" she asked. Wondering why Rick was acting so strange.

"Yeah, I mean no..."

Too late, her interest was already peaked. Walking through the office threshold, her line of sight went to the closed office door across the counter. Through the window she saw Daryl. Only he wasn't alone. With Daryl was a leggy, pretty blonde in red high heels and a t-shirt to match. She wore daisy dukes that were so tight they, with all probability, fit Madalyn. She had one hand on Daryl's upper bicep and the other on his cheek. There was an unmistakable intimacy between the two. And when the woman leaned in to kiss Daryl on the lips, Beth turned, not wanting to see any more. Dumping the to-go bags on the counter, she ran out of the door.

. . .

"Dammit, Andrea what are you doin' here? I told you if you need to contact me, which you never should haveta' do, to call me. Don't come down here, to my place of work, in the middle of friggin' town square, to see me."

"Aw come on now Daryl. Is that how you're going to do me?" She asked with a smirk on her painted lips. "You don't hate me that much do you?"

"You have no idea," was his response. He never realized how much he could dislike someone until his and Andrea's marriage fell apart. Standing with his arms crossed across his chest, an angry scowl aimed at her, he asked, "What do you want?"

She didn't like that. Her lips pursed and she looked mildly irritated. She was still up for any game he wanted to play apparently because she sauntered over to him. Placing her hand on his arm, squeezing slightly feeling the muscle tense under her grip. She then placed her other hand on his cheek. Looking down at her in disgust, he waited. The quicker she said what she wanted, and the quicker he turned her down, the quicker she would leave.

"You can't still be mad at me can you?"

Oh hell. He most certainly could still be mad at her. "Mad at you for what exactly? The three years you took from me that I'll never get back. The alimony I will probably have to pay you the rest of your life because, if we're being honest here, you'll never remarry just to piss me off. Or, the money you've managed to weasel out of me since the divorce." He knew better than to get into a sparring match with his ex-wife. Even if he felt he won the argument he never really actually won. "Or, the time you cheated on me," she actually had the decency to flinch, "with my brother."

Her blood was boiling, no doubt, but for some reason she kept her cool. She must be really desperate for something. _Well she's not getting shit from me, this time or ever again,_ Daryl told himself.

"Daryl, she purred. How he ever thought of this woman as appealing was a mystery to him.

"Come on. For old time's sake."

"There ain't no old times, Andrea. Just time wasted."

She pouted, "You mean to tell me you don't remember all the good times we had."

"No," he said bluntly. "Are you trying to sell yourself to me? Because, honey, believe me. What you got? I ain't interested."

"Don't be that way Daryl. We had some fun times..." she was almost his height when she wore those tramp red high heels. Leaning into him, pushing her breasts against his arm, she placed a kiss to the thin line of his lips.

"What the hell don't you listen?" He yelled. Lifting his arm and inadvertently shoved her back two steps, at the same moment the bell rang to their front door entrance. He glanced out the office door in time to see a flash of a blonde pony-tail run through the door.

"Beth. Dammit," he ran out the office door and outside, but Beth was long gone. He had no idea which way she went. Turning back to the counter two doggy bags from the dinner were tossed on the white freckled fimica. _Aw shit, Beth._

"So is that the new woman? Or should I say girl, I been hearing about?" Andrea snarked.

"Get the fuck outta here, Andrea. And dontcha' ever come back," he told her, motioning with his hand. He stomped into the garage leaving Andrea standing with her hands on her cocked hip.

. . .

"How could I be so stupid? Why did I actually think I was special to him?" Beth raged to Patricia, who watched her pace back and forth in her living room. Arms folded in tense anger. "To think he'd wait me out. Wait for me to come to my senses. I was so stupid."

"I'm sure you are special to him, honey. And you are no stupid." Patricia's voice carried an authoritative tone to it. She hated it when Beth spoke badly of herself.

"Ha! Funny way of showing it. Not that I blame him. But for him to move on so quickly? I don't understand."

After working that afternoon, she went to Patricia's to pick up Madalyn. The minute she saw Patricia, she broke down in tears. Beth hated crying, what good does it do? You still had the problem after you were done crying. It did nothing, definitely didn't fix anything. The tears flowed down her face just the same. Patricia immediately took her into her arms and held her until her crying subsided, waiting for Beth to tell her what happened.

Patricia assumed Beth and her fella had began spending more time together. Beth took a bit more time on her appearance. She had a little spring to her step. Even noticed her wearing a tiny bit of makeup on occasion. Patricia was just happy the girl was finally living a little. Now, though, her girl was hurt and she did not like that, not one bit.

Finally Beth had exhausted herself with crying and pacing and plopped down on Patricia's couch. Burying her face in her hands. "I feel so stupid."

Patricia sat next to her, running her hands through Beth's hair, which was a big rats nest after the day's work and pulling the hair clasp out in frustration shortly after arriving at Patricia's.

"Don't feel stupid. It just shows you care. You let someone into your heart."

"I was going to introduce Madalyn to him. Let him into our lives. After I acted, though. I can't say I blame him."

"Now, I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but maybe it was all a misunderstanding. I think he cares for you, as much as you do him. You should go to him, give the boy a chance to explain his'self."

Beth shook her head in the negative, "No. I can't. I was stupid to start up with him, or anyone, for that matter."

"You need to learn to trust again." Her words were very familiar to Beth from their last conversation about Daryl. "I know it's hard, knowing what you been though. But, ya' can't live the rest of your life alone. You'll get to the end of your life and realize all that you missed because you were afraid you might get hurt. I lost Otis years ago. Do you think if I had it to do over, I wouldn't do it? That I regret meeting him, having children with him, spending my life with him because I was hurt when he died? That I regret it because of the pain I feel now from missing him?" She looked intently at Beth. "I regret a lot of things in life, but I don't regret a single moment I spent with Otis. "

Beth knew Patricia's words were true. So very true. She mauled them over as she crossed the street and climbed the stairs to her place with Madalyn on her hip. Beth was looking forward to a hot shower, dinner and finally sleep. Tomorrow she would decide what to do. She was physically and emotionally worn out. Reaching in her purse for her keys, she put Madalyn down on the top landing, placing her in between herself and the railing, she saw a single pink rose on the banister adjacent to the door.

For a moment Beth only stared at it as though making sure it was, in fact, there. Not a figment of her overly exhausted mind. She reached out her hand tracing the soft petal with her finger, a breeze blowing the fragrance in her direction. Closing her eyes for a moment she thought back to when she was eighteen. Her senior year in high school. Her life lay ahead of her. Then she met Gareth. A freshmen at the local university. Star player on the football team. Bright white smile with the straightest teeth she'd ever seen. He was perfect. Or so she thought.

On their first date he brought her a dozen faint pink roses, just like the one that lay on the banister. " _Pretty flowers for a pretty girl_ ," he had said. Being young and naive she thought he was the smartest, smoothest talker in the state. And the fact he was interested in her, just a kid, made her feel immensely special.

The first time he hit her she wrote it off to his being stressed about finals. She'd brought it on herself. The normal excuses she realized now. Soon the first time turned into the second time, the second time turned into a full-on beating. Two years this went on. Then when she got pregnant she wanted nothing more than to make things work with him, but he became increasingly volatile. When she was six months pregnant she went to his apartment to tell him that she had found out at the ultrasound they were having a girl. A precious angel they could claim as their own. She found him in bed with another girl. Her idealistic world shattered.

Beth snatched up the rose and flung it over the railing to the ground below. She unlocked her door, ushered Madalyn inside, slamming it behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

**I think there was some confusion with the last chapter. Beth didn't ditch Daryl for like weeks or anything. It was only a day before her phone died and two days after that is when she went to the shop, making it three days total. I went back to make sure I hadn't accidently skipped that part, _"By day three of no contact with Daryl, she had realized what a mistake she made by ignoring him."_**

**And, if you look at it from her point of view, she couldn't just run off to see him either. Logistically, when you have a baby, go to school and work two jobs, that just doesn't work.**

**SO, now that I've said my peace, here is the next chapter. I hope it's less aggravating for everyone. :) Thank you for reading.**

* * *

 

Sleep evaded Beth. She tossed and fretted all night. When morning came she didn't have a clearer idea of what to do with the mess she had inadvertently created. On a whim, she decided she needed to get away. Away from this situation with Daryl. Away from the possibility of Gareth doing whatever it is he may or may not be doing. Away from her own mistakes. Even if it was only for a couple of days, maybe that would help clear her mind.

Maggie answered her phone on the third ring sounding tired. Putting on a fake enthusiasm she did not feel, Beth spoke into Patricia's phone because she had yet to be able pay her own phone bill. "Hey sis, you alright? You sound tired."

Maggie laughed half heartedly. "This growing a human being inside of me is exhausting work."

"I know what you mean. But hey, in a few months the baby will be on the outside of you and then the real exhaustion can begin."

"Great, something to look forward too."

Beth laughed at her sarcasm. "I thought maybe we'd come up this weekend."

Maggie's voice cheered. "Oh? I'd love that. Both Glenn and I have the weekend off."

. . . 

Beth wished she felt better with the prospect of getting away for the weekend, seeing Maggie and Glenn, but her heart still hung heavily in her chest. As she packed a duffel bag for herself and Madalyn, she wondered if she was doing the right thing, running away from her problems. It's not as though her problems wouldn't be there waiting when she returned, she reasoned. Zipping up the duffel bag she resolved to put everything behind her for the rest of the weekend and just enjoy being with her sister before the baby comes.

"Come on, Madalyn. Ya' ready to go?"

Madalyn clapped and smiled at her. "Mamamamama."

"Baby girl, you need to learn to talk," Beth laughed and kneeled down to put Madalyn on one hip and the bag over her shoulder. No matter her mood, Madalyn always made her smile.

Walking out the door, turning to lock the deadbolt, she walked down the stairs, balancing Madalyn and their bag. Rounding the railing she walked to her car parked in the small parking area behind the house. Gasping when her car came into view. Written on the windshield of her car was the word "SLUT" in big bold red letters.

Beth stopped short, "What the hell?" Still holding Madalyn, thankful she wasn't old enough to read, she spun around. Looking for someone lurking out from behind a tree or a neighboring house. The sun beat down on them in their treeless back yard, the Cicadas buzzed. Music from a nearby house floated on the breeze. But no one jumped out. No one was there.

Beth knew he _was_ there though. Somewhere near by, watching them. Her hair stood on end as her blood ran cold. Taking a steadying breath, she said, "No," on the exhale. She refused to be a victim. To continue to be terrified of her own shadow, of every creak or thud. Jumping when someone unexpectedly came up behind her. No more. Beth stood straight, chin held high. She put their bag in the back of the Jimmy and put Madalyn in her car seat, turning on the car and the air conditioning. She, with a calm she did not quite feel on the inside, turned on the windshield wipers, hitting the washer button. The word must of been written with a window maker and not paint -   _small miracles,_ because the red smeared, streaking down the window, not unlike blood, and then all but washed away.

Beth slammed her car door, looked back at Madalyn safe and secure in her car seat, she put the car in gear and drove away, hoping her mind would be more at peace when she returned.

. . .

Almost thirty minutes later she pulled into Maggie's long driveway. The further she drove down the dusty pathway, the more she felt the tension begin to melt away. Her heart still ached for Daryl, and her hands shook ever so slightly knowing Gareth had been at her home, but she felt lighter here. Maybe a long weekend with her sister and Glenn was exactly what she needed after all.

Madalyn had fallen asleep on their drive and Beth deftly pulled her sleeping body from her car seat and situated her on shoulder, then from the trunk she retrieved their duffel bag. Maggie held open the door for her and walked with her straight to her bedroom where the playpen had already been set up. She laid Madalyn softly down on the thin pad.

Taking a deep breath, Beth dropped her duffel back on the bed. Maggie motioned for her to follow her down the hall to her and Glenn's bedroom. She loved this room with its big four poster bed and shiny wood floors. An old quilt lay on top of the mattress and two fluffy pillows leaned against the wall. Beth felt a stab of envy for what Maggie and Glenn shared. Would she ever have that? Sadly, she felt that life wasn't meant for her. 

"Now," Beth began, "let me look at you!"

She took her sister by the wrists and looked at her from an arms distance. Maggie, still fit and trim, had the slightest round basketball under her loose Tie-dyed Grateful Dead t-shirt.

"I'm well on my way to becoming a house."

"You are not. You look great." Beth couldn't contain the itch to reach out and rub her belly any longer, affectionately she patted the perfectly rounded bump.

"Have you felt the baby move much?"

"Well not much, just those slight movements. Then last night, a kick. Like kapow! Shot me out of a dead sleep." Maggie beamed from ear to ear.

"Aw that's great Mags." Beth was truly happy and excited for her sister.

"Glenn thought I must of gone into labor or something. He jumped up and was half dressed before I was able to tell him it was just the baby kicking."

Beth laughed, a full belly laugh for the first time in days. It felt so good.

The sisters sat on Maggie's bed, laughing. Talking about baby kicks, mood swings and cravings for a good while. It reminded Beth of when they were young and would talk about boys, cars, sneaking a beer, (Maggie, not Beth) and clothes. Funny how time changes but everything really stays the same.

"Speaking of food. What do you want for dinner. We could go out. Or we could stay here."

"Oh, you know, I'd really like to stay in. I love it here so much."

"Okay, great, Glenn had a thing to do, who knows what, so we can start dinner. He'll be home soon."

Once Madalyn was up from her nap, the girls went downstairs and began to prepare a dinner of barbeque chicken on the grill, corn on the cob and potato salad. Maggie had bought a few baby gates and they set them up, corralling Madalyn in the kitchen with them. They were just finishing up the potato salad, with onions because Maggie was craving them, as Glenn's truck pulled down the driveway, followed by a car Beth didn't recognize.

Maggie, Beth and Madalyn went outside to greet him. Glenn jumped down from his Chevy Silverado and went straight to Beth. "There's my favorite sister," wrapping her a big bear hug. Beth enjoyed the fact that he had dropped the in-law part and just called her sister.

"Hey Glenn," Beth snuggled into his hug.

"And there's Miss Madalyn," he released Beth and picked Madalyn up, a squeal of happiness emitting from her. Glenn spun her around then tickled her ribs. Madalyn laughed the deep belly laugh she reserved for only a few people. Beth met Maggie's eyes. Maggie lifted her eyebrows in surprise and shrugged her shoulders. Beaming with happiness, apprently Madalyn finally decided she liked Glenn.

Glenn comfortably put Madalyn on his hip and snatched a pickle off the tray his wife's carried and planted her with a kiss. By then the stranger had parked and made his way to the group. Glenn introduced him. "Beth, Maggie, this is Zach. He works with me at the factory. New in town, so I invited him for dinner."

Beth began to feel her normal uncomfortableness she felt around people she did not know as he offered her his hand. "Nice to meet you both," Zach said, then shaking Maggie's hand.

"Hey Madalyn." He said to the little girl, but she snuggled into Glenn's shoulder, making Glenn feel like the protective Uncle, no doubt.

They settled down to eat at the picnic table under a large oak tree and it soon became apparent this was a fix-up. He sat a bit too close to Beth on the bench seat. Asked a few too many questions aimed at Beth. Looked at her a bit too closely.

"So, Beth. Maggie says you are going to nursing school."

Beth had been focused on helping Madalyn eat and not make too much of a mess of herself or her surroundings, her head shot up when Zach questioned her.

"Oh, umm. Yes. I go to the community college."

"Must be hard. Raising a baby, going to college?" He questioned.

"And she works two jobs." Maggie interjected proudly.

"Yes, it is difficult."

"Doesn't leave you much time to date?"

A little put off by his noisiness, she fumbled. Technically she and Daryl were dating. Now that she had royally messed things up, and she saw him with that woman, things were up in the air. How would she answer this and not give away her situation.

"Not much, no," she answered vaguely.

Glenn stood, grabbing the empty pitcher and announced, "I'm gonna' get some more lemonade."

Maggie rose also. "I'll help," she said, giving a Beth a guilty grin before following Glenn to the kitchen.

Once they were gone, Zach turned his attention back to Beth. "Do ya'? Date much I mean?" 

He's persistent, she would allow him that. At this rate, they'd be married by dessert, Beth snarked to herself. "No, I mean. Yes. Or I was."

Beth felt crushing guilt on top of the guilt she was already feeling. Zach seemed very nice, if not a little too eager. Politely stood when she stood, refilled her glass for her. Tall, handsome, gainfully employed. There was one thing wrong with him, though...he wasn't Daryl. This unexpected dinner date made her miss him all the more. Tears began to burn in her eyes for what seemed liked the millionth time that week.

"I'm sorry Zach. I don't know what Glenn told you. But, I'm just not available right now." There. That sounded just confusing enough to derail the train he was on. Before Zach had a chance to speak, she excused herself, reasoning she needed to wash Madalyn up, get her ready for bed. Nevermind it was a good hour before her bedtime.

Hoping Zach didn't find her rude, and oh well if he did, she quickly made her way up the stairs, grabbing her cell phone from her purse in her bedroom. Pushing the correct sequence of numbers she made her payment with her debit card she had saved to the online account. Figuring screw it! Who cares if she overdrew her bank account. And went down the hall to the bathroom She locked herself and Madalyn in the tiny room. She filled the tub with water and plopped a naked Madalyn down with a few bath toys to play with. Kneeling down in front of the tub, she waited for the phone to reboot. Once it had, she had two missed calls and two text messages.

One missed call is from a number she didn't recognize, the other from Daryl. The little red icon notified her she had a message. Pressing the voicemail button she put the phone to her ear, taking a steadying breath.

At first nothing. Only the background sound of maybe the wind blowing through a car window. She thought he would just hang up, like the times before.

"Beth." Oh, the sound of his voice saying her name tore her heart into more of a shattered mess.

"Beth," he said again. "What can I say? I'm sorry. The woman you saw? She means nothing to me. Nothin'. I don't wanna explain this over the phone. To your voicemail. Please meet with me." Then he disconnected the call.

Analyzing his words her heart broke all over again. He sounded so agonized, so sad. But if the woman meant nothing to him, why was he kissing her?

Or was she kissing him?

It was all a blur. Either way he and that woman were doing something they shouldn't of been. Beth looked back at her phone and clicked onto the text messages.

One simply stated, "Call me." The other said, "Just let me explain."

Beth was perplexed at best. Should she let him explain? Should she just let it go, maybe their being together was not meant to be. That prospect crushed her.

Finding Gareth in bed with someone else while she was pregnant with his child was something she never quite got over. Some may say it made her overly sensitive to that sort of betrayal. How she felt couldn't be helped. No matter what happened in a relationship, in Beth's book, it was never okay to cheat. Not that that's what Daryl did for sure, but it sure looked suspicious. Maybe he thought they were on a break, like Ross on that annoying season of Friends. 

And, in all fairness, she had plenty to explain to him. He knew nothing of her past or why she freaked out. Telling someone that, opening up to him? She wasn't sure she was capable of that, capable of trusting someone with that information.

Feeling no more sure on what to do than she did before she listened to the messages, she set the phone on the counter and sat in front of the tub on her knees and began to suds up Madalyn.

* * *

 

Daryl parked his truck at the curb in front of Beth's house. He had looked for her at the college and at the diner. He had went everyone where he knew to go. Had done everything he knew to do. Gave her space, calling and not leaving a message, calling and leaving a message. He even tried a couple text messages, though he knew it wasn't the way to resolve this problem.

As he rounded the house, he saw her car was not parked in its normal spot. Still, he was here and not leaving until he saw her. Spoke to her. Explained himself. Taking the stairs two at a time, he banged on the door anyway, knowing no one was inside. Finally, after a few moments, he went back down the stairs. His boot heels crunching over the gravel, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice the rose crushing under his boot. The rose that Beth had flung over the banister.

Once he got back to the truck, he made the decision to sit there and smoke until his throat was raw or she came home. Whichever came first.

Daryl was halfway through a fresh pack of Marlboro Red's when an older woman with blonde hair falling from a bun on the top of her head came from the house across the street. At first he didn't think much of her. Just a neighbor checking her mail. Instead of going to her mailbox, this neighbor walked across the street and right up to him.

"You must be Daryl."

Shocked, he sat there dumbfounded with a cigarette hanging from his lips. Sitting sideways, with the drivers door open, resting his right arm on the steering wheel, his feet on the door edging, he eyed her suspiciously.

"That's me," he replied. Under her thorough inspection, he felt like a child be reprimanded for writing on his desk at school. He resisted the urge to squirm in his seat.

His eyes squinted as it dawned on him who she must be. Ever since Beth told him about Madalyn, she talked almost non-stop about her neighbor/babysitter/friend. "You Patricia?" 

Patricia nodded. "She's not here."

"I gathered that. I'm jus' waitin' on her to get home"

"Listen, I don't know what happened. I mean, I know what Beth told me, but I'm smart enough to know there are two sides to every story. Bottom line is you hurt my girl. And for that you won't get any information from me."

"I didn't ask," he pointed out.

"Nope, no information," Patricia went on as though he did not speak. "So if you was to ask me where Beth and Madalyn went? Well, I won't tell you. No siree." She nodded.

Crossing her arms around her chest, she went on. "For example, I wouldn't tell you that they went to see her sister for the weekend." She stared intently at Daryl now, waiting before she spoke again. "I also couldn't tell ya' that you should go there. Now. Tell her how you feel about her. Tell her you're sorry. Give her a chance to apologize too."

She thought a moment then said, "Sometimes a woman needs to leave to see if she is worth followin', if you catch my drift."

Daryl nodded. He did understand, one-hundred percent.

"But that would only be if I was at liberty to tell you, which of course..."

"You're not," Daryl grinned that crooked grin as Patricia started back to her house.

He swung his feet around so he was facing the steering wheel and slammed the door shut. Through the open window he called, "Hey Patricia." And when she turned around he said, "Thanks for not telling me."

"Anytime," she said and winked at him.

Daryl threw the truck into gear and slammed his foot down on the gas peddle, squealing the tires, generating smoke on the hot pavement as he sped off toward Maggie and Glenn's place.

* * *

 

"Beth, let me in." Maggie spoke through the bathroom door just as she was toweling off Madalyn. She wrapped the hooded towel around her and opened the door. Dodging Maggie, she passed her and walked down the hall to her bedroom. Maggie of course, followed.

"Well that was kinda rude."

Laying Madalyn on the bed, reaching for the baby lotion, playing dumb she asked, "What are you talkin' about?"

"You know what."

Giving in, Beth blew her bangs out of her face, diapering Madalyn while she spoke. "You sneak attacked me. Why didn't you tell me you had a blind date set up?"

Maggie, guilty, busied herself refolding the stack of Madalyn's clothes that sat on the edge of the bed. "To be fair I wasn't aware of it until a few hours ago. It was all Glenn's idea."

"Maggie! You should be ashamed. Throwing your husband under the bus like that." Beth turned her back to Maggie, suppressing the giggle that was threatening to bubble up from her throat. She wasn't really upset with Maggie. She and Glenn were just trying to help Beth find happiness. Trying to help her spinster sister find a man. 

"It wasn't that bad, was it? He seemed like a nice guy."

True enough, but Beth didn't want some random nice guy. She wanted Daryl.

Serious now, Maggie placed her hand on Beth's shoulder, turning her around to face her. "Beth you can't live the rest of your life this way. Every guy isn't like Gareth."

All the feelings Beth had tried unsuccessfully to hide came to the surface. Her face reddened as she tried, one last time to not cry but the tears came just the same. In between sobs Beth tried to explain. "I...am...I mean, I was...seeing someone."

Taking Madalyn from Beth, she sat her in the playpen giving her a stuffed animal to play with, then taking Beth by her shoulders, she lightly shoved plopping her down on the edge of the bed.

"What do ya' mean? Who have you been seeing?" Maggie asked, flabbergasted.

In between sobs, Beth said, "Daryl."

Confused, Maggie asked, "Daryl?" Then she realized who she must of meant. "Daryl Dixon? Glenn's friend?"

Beth only nodded. Maggie sat next to her and with an arm around her shoulder waited for the tears to dry. Once they did, Beth explained everything that conspired between her and Daryl. Maggie listened intently, not wanting to miss anything.

Madalyn began to fuss, feeling left out. Beth whipped her face with her hands, and shrugged off her little pity party. Madalyn came first. She stood and picked Madalyn up out of the play pen and sat back on the edge of the bed, rocking her back and forth.

Out of all that Beth had told her, Maggie couldn't seem to get over the fact that the man she had been seeing was Daryl.

"Daryl?" She asked again.

"Yes, Daryl." Beth said, getting annoyed.

"Daryl? What about Daryl?" Glenn, who was walking down the hallway, he stuck his head into the room.

Beth rolled her eyes. The last person she wanted to talk about this weekend was Daryl, apparently no one else felt the same.

"Well it seems my baby sister and Daryl are...or were...an item."

To say Glenn looked surprised was an understatement. "You. And Daryl?"

"For cryin' out loud. Yes. Me and Daryl. Daryl and me. But not anymore." She said quietly, not wanting to disturb Madalyn whose eyes were becoming heavy.

"Well why not? He's a good guy. A little gruff maybe, but a good guy." Glenn interjected.

Feeling frustration mounting, she really did not want to go through it all again. Turns out she didn't have to because Maggie filled in for her, "She caught him snuggling up to some tall blonde at work the other day."

Glenn leaned against the jamb of the door, a look of concentration on his face. "That really doesn't sound like Daryl. I mean, he's loyal to a fault. His brother Merle? He's about as big of a jackass as they come, but Daryl refuses to cut ties with him because he's his brother. He's his blood. So, if he was in a relationship with you, then he was with you, totally and completely."

_He has a brother?_ _Why hadn't he told me? Was I so preoccupied with my own issues and problems that I never bothered to find out?_ She wondered, this new information adding to her confusion.

"Wait...did you say tall and blonde?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, why?" Beth answered.

"I wonder if that was Andrea."

"Who's Andrea?" Maggie asked.

"Daryl's ex-wife."

"He has an ex-wife?" Maggie and Beth asked at the same time, sharing a puzzled look.

"Yes. They divorced a couple years ago. She was no good to him from day one. Very manipulative. Always wondering what she can get out of someone. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was when she slept with Merle."

Beth ran a hand over her face. _A brother and an ex-wife? Did he not tell her anything about his life?_ Really, had Beth any right to be upset? She waited so long to tell him about Madalyn. And she had yet to tell him anything of Gareth. Couple that with how she'd reacted after they had sex, she figured she had little reason to be upset. They both had secrets, she supposed.

"If it was Andrea, which I'm almost sure it was, she was most likely just trying to make trouble," Glenn confided.

"I don't know what I should do. Should I go to him, let him explain himself?" And do some explaining of her own.

"Yes!" Maggie said a little to loud. Repeating in a quieter voice, "Yes, you should go to him."

They were quiet a moment, and Beth laid a sleeping Madalyn back in her playpen, laying a light blanket over her. Her head suddenly felt light, her mind racing. 

"You're right Maggie. Can you watch Madalyn? I'm sure she will sleep through the night. I got to go find him. Explain…"

Glenn wandered over to the window and, gazing out, spoke up. "Ya' know, I don't think you'll have to go to him."

"What?" Beth asked, sitting up.

Glenn motioned with his head out the window. Joining him, Beth saw Daryl's truck pulling down their drive.


	11. Chapter 11 - Stay, Lady Stay

**Well. This chapter happened rather quickly so I thought I'd post it early for you all. Hope you enjoy it. As always thank you so so so much for reading/commenting.**

**The song mentioned in this chapter is Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan. Such an amazingly great song. I suggest you look it up, or raid someone's old record collection. Just find it somewhere and listen to it! ;)**

* * *

A plethora of feelings ran through Beth at the speed of a freight train. Excitement, because Daryl had obviously gone out of his way to find her. Trepidation because she knew she had to come clean about her past now. What if he saw her life for the crazy, chaotic mess it was? He'd be smart if he ran for the hills, though it would crush her. Mostly, though, she felt relief that he was here.

At the same time she was beginning to panic, turning to Maggie she asked, "What should I do?"

Maggie had more experience with men than Beth. She had dated quite a bit from the time she was sixteen up until she met Glenn a couple of years ago. Not in a wild sort of way, she always kept her head about it. Beth, however, had little experience with the subject. Before she met Gareth she never really had a serious boyfriend. And since Gareth, there had only been Daryl.

Sensing this was a sisterly moment, Glenn decided to go see how Daryl was getting along and left the room.

Maggie asked, "Do you love him?" Silly question. Maggie knew the answer without Beth even telling her. She could read it all over her face. Beth had always had a gentle soul, and while Gareth had damaged her heart severely, Maggie was relieved to see it hadn't completely turned to dust.

Beth looked like a scared child, eyes big, lips pushed out, almost in a pout. "Yes, yeah. I think so."

Maggie hugged her sister. "I'm so happy for you!" Pulling back, she said, "You need to talk to him, figure it out. Be honest with him and, if his heart is in the right place, he will be honest with you."

Beth looked down out the window as Daryl climbed out of his truck. Shoulders hunched, looking defeated.

"Go on. I'll watch Madalyn. Take all the time you need."

Downstairs Glenn stood on the porch steps leaning against the banister, talking with Daryl who stood at his truck, looking like he was ready to jump in and take off at a moment's notice. Whatever the conversation was about, it stopped the second Beth walked out onto the porch.

Feeling self conscious, she looked down at herself. She knew she must of looked horrid. Old t-shirt still wet from Madalyn's bath, old shorts. Hair messed.

"Well I have to go see a pregnant woman about some ice cream," Glenn said and went back inside, giving Beth a wink as he passed her.

Daryl and Beth stood staring at each other for a moment. Beth at the top step, Daryl at the open door of his truck. Neither sure what to say. Neither sure what needed to be said.

Finally Daryl broke the silence by asking, "Madalyn asleep?" He nodded toward the second story window where she was standing moments before.

"Yeah."

"Wanna' go for a ride, just to talk..." he offered, placing a hand on the driver's side door. Hesitantly Beth took a step, then another. She looked up at her bedroom window where a light illuminated the glass from Madalyn's night light. She knew Madalyn was safe and comfortable with Maggie and Glenn, knew that she would sleep through the night and that things would be fine if she left for a bit. And she wanted nothing more than to go with him.

So, she stepped down the porch steps and climbed up into Daryl's truck, scooting to the passenger side. Daryl hopped in and started the truck up and began backing down the drive.

_Well that was step one, getting her into the truck._

It was a beautiful evening. The setting sun cast a yellow glow to the air and there was a slight breeze carrying the sweet smell of the growing spring crops in the nearby fields. Beth hung her hand out the open window and felt the breeze fly over her face. Closing her eyes she could almost pretend nothing was amiss. The radio playing old tunes, it was just her and Daryl driving down a country road. Nothing more.

Then he interrupted the silence. "Beth, will you let me explain?"

"I'm listening," was her reply. Since he offered, she'd let him go first. _Coward,_ a voice sounded in her head.

"The woman you saw at the garage? That's Andrea, my ex-wife. I married her five years ago, we divorced after three. I'm not sure why I married her. To be honest, I guess I was lonely. Tired of the endless disconnect. I wanted to grow up, get married. Even have kids. I jus' picked the wrong woman to do it all with. At the garage that day, she was just trying to start trouble."

Just as Glenn had said.

"She probably heard I was seeing someone...seeing you. And, I don't know. Was trying to cause us to split up." He snorted. "Guess it worked. You've got to know, I did not kiss her. She kissed me, I'm guessing that's what you saw. But anyway, I pushed her away the second her lips touched mine. I'm sorry you had to see that. My past has a way of comin' back to haunt me at the worst times."

"It's okay, Daryl." She looked over at him, a slight smile playing across her lips.

He wasn't sure what exactly was okay, but he took reassurance in her simple statement. He didn't press his luck and let the music from the radio surround them once again.

Soon Daryl turned off the road onto a dirt two-track. The bumpy road making Beth bounce around the cab of the truck, before he parked the truck in front of a wheat field. The sun was setting and the wheat blew hypnotically back and forth in the breeze. Beth opened the door and walked to the front of the truck, leaning on the bumper watching the wheat dance.

Daryl stayed in the driver's seat watching her. Her blonde hair, a tantalizing tangled mess, blew in the breeze in time with the wheat, the setting sun making her porcelain skin glow. She looked over her shoulder at him through the windshield. Not smiling, not unhappy either. His heart skipped a beat. How he went so long without her in his life he did not know, but he refused to spend another moment without her now that he knew what he had been missing all this time.

An old song sounded over the radio. One Daryl hadn't heard in years but always liked. He had a fleeting memory of his mother playing the record over and over again when he was little. The twang of music rang out over the speakers and the singers scratchy voice flowed with the breeze. Daryl turned it up and stepped out of the truck, leaving the door open. He went to Beth. She looked puzzled at him as he held out his hand.

"Wanna dance?"

"Dance?" If he would of asked her if she wanted a ride on a flying elephant she wouldn't of been more surprised. Daryl Dixon? Dance? Nope, no way.

"Yeah, come on," he urged, a sly shy smile played on his face. She slid her hand into his. And he pulled her close as the lyrics began.

_Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed_  
_Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed_  
_Whatever colors you have in your mind_  
_I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine_  
_Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed  
_ _Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile._

They swayed back and forth, barely moving as the sun sat even further below the horizon. Storm clouds were beginning to form, turning their world from yellow to a deep orange. He pulled her even closer, and she slid her arms around his neck, he locked his hands around her waist. At that moment he knew he was home. No matter where they were in the world. As long as he was with her, he was home.

_Until the break of day, let me see you make 'em smile_  
_His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean_  
_And you're the best thing that he's ever seen_  
_Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile_  
_Why wait any longer for the world to begin_  
_You can have your cake and eat it too_  
_Why wait any longer for the one you love  
_ _When he's standing in front of you_

And because it seemed right he bent his head and kissed her.

"Beth, I'm so sorry. I shoulda' told you 'bout Andrea sooner." He didn't want to take the chance of losing her. If someone in his past was unhappy with him he couldn't of cared less. But the idea of Beth being hurt by his actions was more than he could deal with. He wanted to be sure she knew the depths of his sorrow.

"Shh...We'll figure it out Daryl," Beth told him, and she stood on her toes, pressing her mouth to his. His response was so strong. Almost desperate.

Pulling back, slightly breathless either from their kiss or from what he was about to tell her, he wasn't sure which. "Beth. I love you." His desire urgent, he cupped her face and kissed her long and hard, making her toes curl. His hands traced down her neck and shoulders, over the mound of her breasts. His lips traced down her neck.

Beth heard his words, but they were drowned out by the urgency of his hands and lips. Her own need to be with him, to feel his touch, to feel his lips drowned out any coherent thought.

"Daryl?"

_Not so fast, Dixon._ He regrettably pulled back. "Sorry." Once he got use to apologizing it became easier, less ego-crushing. At least if it was Beth he was apologizing to.

"No, don't be sorry. Let's go back to my place."

"Your place?" He questioned, brow furrowed with confusion. And then understanding, he said, "Oh."

"I love you too." She whispered. "I wanna' be with you." Everything else could wait. Hoping against hope that she wasn't screwing things up again. Her brain and her heart were a jumbled mess of feelings. Each screaming what she should, or should not, do. She chose to follow her heart though, and tugged slightly at Daryl's hand pulling him back to the truck.

. . .

From their location they were about fifteen minutes from her house and he went as fast as he considered safe over the bumpy dirt roads until they finally got to the highway. Then he hammer downed as fast as the old truck would take them. The rain beat them to the punch though, lightning streaked the sky as rain pelted the windshield.

When they arrived at Beth's place the storm was raging. He parked at the curb and rounded the truck to her side before she even got her seat belt unbuckled. He took her by the hand and they quickly jogged to the back stairs. No longer able to keep his hands off her, Daryl pulled her close, his lips crushing down on hers. His teeth nipping her bottom lip, then at her chin and on down her neck, reddening her skin as he went. Rain poured down onto them, sizzling on their hot skin.

Beth pulled away long enough to pull him up the stairs and to her door, fishing the spare key from where it was hidden behind a flower pot in a plastic rock in the corner of the small landing. Daryl stood behind her, wrapping his arms protectively around her, nuzzling the back of her neck. Fumbling, distracted by the things his lips were doing to her, she finally inserted the key and shoved open the door.

Once inside the darkened room, Daryl immediately spun her around to face him. Kissing her ear, quick flicks of his tongue finding her earlobe. He mumbled "Let me love you, let me show you how I feel." He wasn't so great with words, he was much better with his hands.

The lightning flashed and before the room went dark again he could see a flash of her long pale hair, streaming down the middle of her back, wet and dripping rain water. Beth tugged the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head, it made a wet plopping sound as it hit the linoleum floor. Thunder rumbled and lightning flared, bringing the room to light again for a brief second. In that flash, Beth noticed something looked different, something was wrong. Very wrong. Daryl was oblivious and continued to press hot kisses on her ear and neck, then going back to her mouth, threatening to drag her under his spell again to which she would of obligingly of gone. Except when another flash of lightning struck, she could see the room was in upheaval.

Pulling back. "No," she mumbled. Then louder "Wait. Stop Daryl."

"What? Whats a matter?"

She pushed out of his arms and stomped to the light switch. When she flipped it on, the room was flooded with the bright fluorescent kitchen light, causing them to squint their eyes, adjusting to the light.

Her kitchen and living room were trashed. That was the best way she could think to explain it; trashed. Still distracted, Daryl took a moment to take in the surroundings.

"What the fuck," he questioned. Her couch was tipped over, the wooden coffee table smashed. The screen on the TV was smashed in, broken black glass everywhere. All the items were pulled out of the kitchen cupboards thrown onto the floor. Everything was in disarray. A chaotic mess. The only thing that was not touched was the kitchen table where, in that old chipped vase, was a dozen pale pink roses.

Feeling dizzy, Beth put her hand to head and moaned. Daryl was by her side in two strides of his long legs. Holding onto her he managed to upright a kitchen chair and helped lower her into it.

"Babe, you're okay. Ya' hear me? Stay right here. I'll make sure whoever did this is gone."

Daryl was gone for only a few seconds. The house was not that big, he only had to check the two bedrooms and bathroom just off of the living room. When he returned, Beth still sat in that chair, a fixed stare on her face.

"Whoever did this is long gone. Ain't no one here."

She nodded. Of course he was gone. Gareth was smarter than to be caught at the scene of the crime. Beth's line of vision landed vase of roses, perfectly matching the one that was left on her banister. She reached out a shaky hand and picked one out of the vase, the same vase that held Daryl's flowers.

Anger surged, "This is not happening!" She yelled. Dropping the flower on the floor, she stood, placing her hands palm down on the cold formica table top. _Why is he doing this?_ _Why now?_ Beth groaned from somewhere deep down inside of her, something primordial and full of angst, picking up the vase of roses she threw them. It made a satisfying shattering sound as it slammed against the refrigerator door. Sending shards of ceramic flying into the air.

"Beth! Dammit girl. Ya' gonna to hurt yo'self." He pulled her by the arm into the living room and away from the sharp shards of vase that now littered the floor.

"We need to call the police." He said, pulling his cell phone out if his back pocket.

"No, don't do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I know who did this."

"What do you mean you know who did this?"

Suddenly weary beyond measure, with Daryl's help she flipped the couch back over and replaced the cushions. They sat, for a moment. Taking in the ruins of her little home. It was nothing special. Nothing like the homes she cleaned for, not even like the single story houses that lined her street. But, she had made it a home as best she could for herself and her daughter.

"His name is Gareth." Deep breath. "He's Madalyn's father."

Daryl sat back on the couch and said "Shit." The implications of the situation seeping into his consciousness.

"Yeah, that about describes it." She told him the story of how she and Gareth met, and how she became pregnant. About his increasing violence. About the day she found out she was having a baby girl, the day she caught him in bed with someone else.

"No wonder you didn't wait around at the shop to figure out what was going on when you saw me and Andrea."

"That's only half of the story." She laughed humorlessly. "When I saw him with that other girl, I took off. Went back home. He came over later that day to apologize and when I wouldn't accept his apology he beat the hell outta' me."

"Oh, baby," Daryl intoned. He went for sympathy but the anger he felt for this piece of shit came through his voice.

Surprisingly she was able to detach herself from the story. Her voice quiet and calm, she continued, "So there I was, laying on my bathroom floor. Bloody, battered. He kicked me so many times, I thought there's no way the baby survived. I knew she had to be dead."

Speaking of Madalyn brought the emotion back up. "Oh my Madalyn. How anyone could harm her, even while she was still inside of me, how could anyone do that?"

Daryl pulled her close. "It's okay, you don't have to finish if you don't wanna'. Some other time..."

"No, you need to know. No more secrets," she said earnestly, looking into his eyes.

He nodded. Agreed.

"I pulled myself up using the sink. Looked at myself in the mirror. My eye swollen, a cut on my cheek. I barely recognized myself and I hated every ounce of what did seem familiar. I became so angry. So hopeless. I hated myself so much at that moment for letting this happen.. I punched the mirror with my fist." Beth clenched her fist, remembering the pain that hardly registered at the time.

"It was an old mirror, none of that shatter proof stuff. It shattered big long jagged pieces. I guess I thought it'd just be easier if...especially if that baby was dead, I didn't want to live. I picked up one of the larger pieces of the mirror and without thinking I sliced my wrist but it didn't cut deep enough. I was about to take another slice when Madalyn kicked for the first time. Kicked me hard."

Beth smiled ruefully. "It was Madalyn telling me she was alive! And that she needed me to stay alive too. So I could protect her."

"I wrapped my wrist in a towel and somehow managed to drive myself to the hospital. After they bandaged and stitched me back up they did an ultrasound and every test known to man. By some miracle Madalyn was unharmed. I vowed to never let anyone, Gareth or anyone else, harm my baby girl. If that meant I had to live the rest of my life alone, then so be it."

Daryl was awestruck. How could he respond to that. What did someone say? What _could_ someone say? The normal 'I'm sorry' was too little and insufficient. So he just held her tight. He was angry for her. For Madalyn. It took every fiber in his being to not run out the door and find this Gareth right now and pay him back for what he did to them. Cowardly bastard that he was.

"The police found him and arrested him. He spent a total of four months in county lock-up and has left us alone until recently. I have this scar," she placed her hand wrist up on his thigh, "to remind me to never rely on anyone. It's up to me, and only me to take care of Madalyn, to keep her safe."

Daryl ran his fingertips over the white line that lay horizontal across her left wrist. "You don't have to be alone any longer. I'll protect you. And Madalyn. Both of you, you're my family now."

He brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed the thin scar. "And your scars," _both physical and mental_ , "...wont make me love you any less."

Her bravery estonished Daryl. Handling all she did, virtually on her own, at such a young age. Then coming out the other side better for it. Raising her baby and doing a damn good job at that. It amazed him and few things truly amazed him in this world.

Though she was exhausted having to deal with her past creeping back up to haunt her, she was relieved to have everything out in the open. It would of been nice to be able to tell him under better circumstances, but it needed to be said either way. And when he pulled her to her feet and put his strong protecting arms around her all of her broken pieces seemed to meld back together.


	12. Chapter 12 - Fight or Flight

Lots happening in this little chapter. lol Hope you enjoy. :) Thanks for reading and commenting. 

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On the way back to Glenn and Maggie's, Beth didn't say a word. Instead of spending the night in each other's arms, she and Daryl spent the night cleaning up what was left of her belongings. Delving into her deepest skeleton left in her closet, and dealing with the police, who Daryl had convinced her to call.

"Beth they need to know. He broke the restraining order. He broke into your house, trashed it to shit. I'm all for handling things on your own, but you've done that long enough. He needs to be behind bars."

Because if Daryl caught him first, it wouldn't be pretty.

Resigned, she put a hand to her throbbing temple and agreed. Not surprisingly, the police were less than helpful. Not that they didn't want to help, they just couldn't produce miracles. They took her statement, jotting down Gareth's name and the last known address she knew of. Which, of course, had to be outdated by now. They took some fingerprints, took pictures of the damage, but that's all they could do for now.

She thought of her tiny house with its second hand couch, second hand coffee table. Second hand everything. Gareth had turned it into a dark hole. Something that once filled her with happiness and comfort, the home she and Madalyn shared, she would never be able to look at it the same way again. Depression enfolded her. Her place, it wasn't much, it was hers, damn it.

Why was he doing this to them? Why now? What terrified her the most was the thought that he might be doing this because he wanted Madalyn. Everything in that house was in upheaval except for Madalyn's bedroom. Nothing was touched in there. Why, if not for the fact that Gareth felt some sort of connection to Madalyn beyond that of a glorified sperm donor.

As they pulled down the long driveway Maggie ran outside to meet them. Beth had called them to tell them what had happened and that she and Daryl would be late getting back. Now, it was early morning. Barely light out and the night's rain had given everything a clean, fresh, scent. The leaves on the trees seemed greener, more vibrant. The rain rolled off them making little plopping noises as the drops fell onto the ground. Any other day Beth would have roused Madalyn from sleep in order to play in the freshly filled rain puddles. It was of Beth's authority that every childhood should include lots of play involving mud puddles.

Not today though.

Maggie wrapped her arms around Beth and walked with her from the truck to the house. Exhausted, she leaned on Maggie, allowing her to carry some of the weight she felt. Every bone in her body ached. Every thought in her head screamed.

They gathered around the kitchen table. Hot cups of strong coffee sat before them.

"Madalyn still asleep?" Beth asked, cupping the hot mug in front of her. She was chilled to the bone even in the balmy Georgia weather.

"Yeah, she slept straight through the storm." Glenn filled in. He had checked on her numerous times through the night. 

"Good." Beth took a sip of coffee, welcoming it's warmth.

Beth did not want to talk about the repercussions of what had happened at her house, but Maggie didn't seem to notice or seem to care.

"Please Beth, come stay with us. We have plenty of room for you and Madalyn."

"Maggie, thanks, but you know I can't do that. My life's there, my school. My work. If I don't work, we don't make it." It may of sounded dramatic. She had little choice, she had to take care of Madalyn. By herself. It was no one else's job but her own.

"You know we will help you any way we can. You can find work here." Maggie added.

Beth held up her hand to stop her. She wouldn't dream of impeding on Maggie and Glenn's life. It was just beginning, they didn't need Beth and Madalyn hanging around, interfering.

"Don't be so stubborn," Maggie said, knowing exactly what her sisters thought process was.

"I have to go back. Let him know he didn't scare me."

Glenn spoke up. "Beth, you have nothing to prove. Who cares what that asshole thinks. His behavior is unstable. You... _we_ , can't risk anything happening to you."

"I won't allow anything to happen to them." Daryl spoke for the first time, his voice deep and firm.

"I don't need to be taken care of. I can handle myself!" Beth was through talking about it, this was _her_ life. Her daughter's life. No one would have to deal with repercussions of what she chooses to do quite like she would. She rose then and walked silently upstairs, ending the conversation.

After checking in on a still sleeping Madalyn she slipped into the bathroom. Stripping off her dirty, stiff from the rain clothes and she stepped into the shower. There, alone, she let the cool water flow over her, washing away the heaviness that weighed on her body.

The tears came then, sobbing and hot against the coolness of her face mixing with the stream of water from the shower washing down the drain. She cried the kind of cry that wracked your whole body, that drained you of everything you felt and left you gloriously numb. When the water ran ice cold she got out, wrapped herself with a towel and went to her room.

Madalyn was awake, still sleepily stretching and playing with her hands and blankie.

"Hey baby girl." Beth greeted her. Looking at Madalyn's sweetly innocent face she knew she was fooling herself. She couldn't take her back to their old home. She had to keep her daughter from Gareth. No matter the cost. No matter if it meant leaving Maggie and even if it meant leaving Daryl.

But could she? Could she leave the only family she knows.

Beth quickly dressed and brushed out her hair. Then picked Madalyn up and changed her diaper and into clean clothes. Talking to her as she went. Telling her that they had to leave town, maybe even Georgia. That they _had_ to go. That they had no choice.

"I'm sorry baby. That's just the way it has to be. But don't you worry. I will always take care of you. Always. We'll have to leave tonight." Fighting tears once again, Beth turned with Madalyn still in her arms to see Daryl standing at the door.

Uncertain of how much he heard, she stood stock-still, waiting for him to make his move. When he did nothing, only watched her with those eagle sharp intense eyes, she spoke, her voice small and watery, "Madalyn. This is Daryl. Can you say hi?" Madalyn looked him over curiously as he walked towards them.

"Hey Madalyn." He placed his large hand over her hair, stroking gently. The softness in his eyes tore at Beth's heart-strings. Finally she met a man who seemed to fit into their little family unit, now she had to leave. Didn't want to, but had to...to protect Madalyn. Right? It was too dangerous if she were to stay leaving Madalyn vulnerable to Gareth.

How she wanted to stay, though. She felt so conflicted. Stay or go? Take a chance? Or flee.

Madalyn babbled up at Daryl as if speaking to him. Reaching out a chubby fisted hand, she handed him her blankie, surprising Beth. Not only was she sharing her favorite thing in the world, her blanket, she was sharing it with a man she didn't know. Maybe the old saying was true - how kids can tell whether a person is truly good or not.

"I think she likes you."

"Good. Because I love her mama." It made butterflies dance in her belly to hear him say those words. "Beth, please. Please," he implored. "Don't go." He'd never begged anyone for a damn thing in his life. But, he would beg Beth if it meant she'd stay.

She didn't pretend to act like she didn't know what he meant. "Daryl, don't."

"Don't what? I care about you, more than I've ever cared about anyone in my life. And I'm not 'bout to jus' let you walk outta' here." He didn't raise his voice. He spoke earnestly, full of determination and purpose.

Beth placed Madalyn back in her playpen, handing her a few toys. Turning back to him, she asked, "What the hell do you suggest I do? I'm not sure what Gareth is up to, but he's clearly dangerous. I can't risk letting him near Madalyn. And I refuse to interrupt Maggie and Glenn's life. Going back to my place is out of the question. As far as I can figure, staying here in Georgia, is not an option either. So what's that leave me?"

"So, you're just gonna' run away?" He asked. Incredulous to what he was hearing.

"Like I have so many other options. Why can't you see? I will do anything to keep Gareth away from my daughter."

"No one is doubting that, Beth. Jus' don't be so damned stubborn. Don't be so bull-headed that you can't see that if you leave, you'll be the one putting your life in danger. Her in danger," he said pointing to Madalyn.

"And if I stay here we are still in danger," she pointed out. "If we leave, at least we'll have a head start."

Daryl leaned against the dresser, chewing on his thumbnail. "Come stay with me. You and Madalyn," he said with such ease, she knew he had been thinking on the idea for a while.

"That's insane." Flabbergasted, Beth planted her hands on her hips. 

"No more insane than taking off in the friggin' middle of the night."

"We hardly know each other. I can't just move in with you. You have no idea what it's like to have a baby around you 24/7."

"That may be true," he ventured, pushing off of the dresser he went to her. "I ain't scared. She's two foot tall. I think I can handle her." He was rewarded when Beth rolled her eyes and smiled just the slightest little smile.

"Come on. Come stay with me. Even if it's jus' temporary." That much, he conceded, was a lie. If he convinced her to move in with him, he was never letting her go.

Beth began to waver. She knew leaving wasn't the best idea. She was at a loss for what else to do.

Stepping toe to toe with Beth, Daryl put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Then he spoke; "Flight or fight?"

"What?" She asked, confused.

"When you are backed into a corner. You can either run." Dropping his hand from her chin to her waist, pulling her close. "Or you fight. It's the Dixon way." He kissed her then, hard. Leaving her dazed when he pulled back and asked, "So whatcah' gonna do?"

Leaving was stupid, she admitted that to herself. Staying seemed dangerous. Moving in with Daryl was complete lunacy-a lunacy she wanted nonetheless. 

She steeled herself. "I'm gonna' fight!"

Daryl smiled. "Damn straight!" Releasing Beth, he walked over to Madalyn's playpen and swooped down, picking her up. To Beth's astonishment she giggled at him, giving him her blanket again which he swung over his shoulder.

"So Maddie May. Do you want to come stay with me for a while?"

Beth's heart swelled with heat. No one had called her Maddie, even though it was a common nickname for Madalyn. And Maddie May was just adorable, in spite of her middle name being Autumn.

Madalyn looked at him, and clearly stated the word "Yes." Beth let out a sound of astonishment. Her first word other than Mama.

Daryl laughed heartedly. "Out of the mouths of babes."

…

They moved what little belongings Beth had left into Daryl's place that afternoon. Running on adrenalin and lukewarm coffee, they trudged through the day with no sleep. There wasn't left that Gareth hadn't trashed, so here wasn't much left to move. Glenn and Maggie insisted on helping get Beth and Madalyn settled.

"You sure about this?" Maggie asked Beth while they were unpacking in what was to be her and Madalyn's new bedroom in Daryl's cabin.

Beth was thankful when Daryl had put her box of clothing in the spare room, rather than his. Seeming to understand she would not be comfortable leaving Madalyn in her own room, in a new place, in the current circumstances, alone. And the idea of the two of them sharing Daryl's room with him seemed wrong.

"Yes. I'm sure," she assured Maggie.

"Because you are more than welcome at our house. I know it's far from your school and work but that's okay. We'll figure it out," she repeated for what, to Beth, seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Maggie...again. Thank you. But this is the best solution for right now. 'Sides, I'd burn up my whole check in gas just to get Madalyn to Patricia's then to the school from your house."

"I know you'll be safe here with Daryl, probably safer than with me and Glenn, but..." Maggie began to choke up, tears shining in her eyes. "...you're my baby sister, and I already lost so much time with you."

Beth sighed, wondering if Maggie would ever forgive herself for their separation. "Maggie, don't you start. You're gonna make me cry."

Maggie swiped at her eyes, fanning at her face with her hand. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. Damn pregnancy hormones."

At that moment, Glenn walked into the room carrying another box. Dropping it on the bed, taking in the scene. Good naturedly, he hollered, "Aw shit, Daryl, don't come in. They're cryin' again."

From the living room Daryl was heard saying, "Thanks for the warning, man," making Beth and Maggie laugh through their tears.

. . .

In the years since Beth began college she had never missed a day of class. Or work for that matter. Not once. The Monday after that horrible weekend seemed fitting for a day to play hookie if there ever was one. She wanted to familiarize Madalyn with her new surroundings and she wasn't ready to leave her just yet. Besides she needed a day to decompress. The weekend was busy getting situated in their new place of residence and now, hopefully things would calm down some.

Daryl had went on to work with the promise to be home early and Beth placed a call to Patrica before she was due over to drop Madalyn off for the day.

"Oh sweet child. How on earth did all that happened across the road from me and I had no clue?"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Patricia. It was late. It was storming. Only one cop car came and they parked in the back."

"Well it's nice of you to try 'n make an old lady feel better. Where are you now? Your sisters?"

"No. I'm umm...actually at Daryl's."

"Huh, well isn't that interesting."

Beth laughed, Patricia was about a subtle as a Mac Truck. "It's only temporary. Just till I find a new place for us to live."

"Uh huh, and how long is temporary?"

"I called the landlord today, told him we'd be officially out by the end of the month. I told him if he found someone else to move in before that then that'd be fine. So we'll be here till then. Then however long before we find another place."

"Well long as you got a plan, I 'pose." Patricia called bullshit. She knew that girl wasn't going anywhere.

"I have work and school tomorrow, so we will be over at normal time."

"Sounds good, sweetheart. Take care of you. See you tomorrow."

. . .

Morning had been uneventful, thankfully. Madalyn, while curious, seemed to adapt well to her new surroundings.

Early in the afternoon Beth rocked her to sleep in an old wood rocker that stood in the corner of Daryl's bedroom. After she dozed off, Beth carried her into their room and laid her down in the crib and quietly backed out of the bedroom, partly closing the door behind her.

Alone, she studied the small house with its bare hardwood floors and logged interior walls. The living room was tiny, yet comfortable with a large leather sofa. A good sized flat screen television took up a good portion of the wall opposite the couch. The sharp edges of the scarred coffee table made Beth a bit nervous as she continued her assessment of her momentary surroundings.

Three large bucks with huge racks hung on the walls. They seemed to follow her with their glass eyes as she roamed the room. A filled gun case with a glass window stood in the corner. She checked the latch, relieved to find it locked. It held two shot-guns she couldn't name, but from her days on the farm as a child she did recognize the Remington 12 Gage long barrel shotgun and the .22 long range semi automatic rifle. There was also a .410 and 9mm pistol. On the wall next to the gun case, hung a Horton Scout HD 125 Crossbow. Alongside it a Mathews Mission compound bow.

Daryl's a hunter, Beth deduced. Not surprising.

Moving from the gun cabinet to the other wall sat a sideboard with a framed photo on top. Picking it up, looking closer. The yellowing photo was of a woman, probably in her mid-thirties, with two boys standing in front of her. A hand laying protectively over each boys' shoulder. Her hair was long and the color of honey. Her crooked smile matched Daryl's perfectly. The two boys, one older and one younger, were obviously he and Beth guessed, his brother.

The fact that he had a framed picture of himself, his brother, and his mother touched Beth. She replaced the frame to its ordinal spot, feeling like she had impeded on a secret memory. One, she had no business butting in on.

Next to the photo was a record player and a stack of records. Thumbing through them, she found mostly country. Mostly from the seventies or early eighties. Picking one, she put it on low. The scratchy sound of the Willie Nelson record comforted Beth. She had little idle time in her life and less time to herself. The weariness of the night of lost sleep combined with an idleness she wasn't used to, was beginning to make her anxious. Thankfully, not too much later she heard Daryl's truck roll up.

She greeted him at the doorway, relieved to have him home. He balanced a can of Coke and his cell phone in one hand and leaned down to plant a noisy kiss on her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he picked her up and walked her backward into the house, shutting the door with a backswing of his boot.

"I could get use to that kind of hello."

"Me too," Beth admitted, as he sat her back down on her feet.

"Was Rick alright with you leaving work early?"

"Oh yeah. No problem."

"Did you tell him...what happened?" Feeling slightly embarrassed, though, not sure why.

"Yes. He's concerned about you and Madalyn. Wanted me to tell ya' if you two needed anything to just let him and Lori know."

Surprised by the kindness of someone she only met a couple of times, she said "Tell him thanks. But I think we are all set here for a while."

Daryl looked around the living room. "Madalyn takin' a nap?"

"Yep, she's back in the bedroom in her crib."

"She settled in alright?" He asked and his concern for Madalyn made Beth feel all mushy on the inside.

Beth nodded, "Yes. Though, we might want to childproof a few things."

"I suppose so. This house was built for a bachelor."

After a moments silence, Daryl said, "I'm glad y'all are here."

"Me too." And Beth realized she really was. Sitting on the sofa, she hopped he'd join her.

Daryl sat down his can of Coke and phone on the coffee table and began to unbutton his work shirt. Watching him, Beth was unable to peel her eyes from away.

His shirt open. Jeans, instead of uniform pants, slung low on his hips. A line of masculine hair traveled from his navel and disappeared below his belt buckle. Beth never felt such a strong sexual pull to someone before. The sensation was both exciting and unnerving. She was still very inexperienced. Sex with Gareth had been something she did, because it seemed expected of her. She never really got much enjoyment out of it. Daryl made her want to do things that had never crossed her mind to do. 

He plopped down on the sofa next to her, putting his hand on her thigh, he squeezed. "Hotter than a son'a bitch out there today."

Daryl's cabin didn't have air conditioning. It stayed cool with the windows open to the small breeze and a ceiling fan circling the air, Beth hadn't noticed the early summer heat. That is until Daryl started undressing in front of her. Then heat spread from her belly outward.

Beth's anxiety shifted from that of restlessness to hypersensitivity. Needing something to do with all this pent up energy she had, she climbed onto Daryl's lap, surprising him.

"Well let me help you get a little cooler, Mr. Dixon." They both needed a little unwinding. A little fooling around wouldn't hurt anything.

She took off his camouflaged hat, throwing it aside, and pulled his unbuttoned sleeveless shirt over his shoulders, helping him wriggle out of it. She kissed his mouth first, slow and steady, then pulled back as he moved in, giving him a teasing grin.

He groaned, "Damn girl, this ain't gonna help me cool off any."

Oh. "I'm sorry. I'll just go sit over there," Beth made like she was going to climb off his lap.

"Oh, no you don't!" He clamped an arm around waist, forcing her back onto his lap. Moving his hands up, he laced his fingers through her hair, pulling her close, making certain she couldn't escape him.

She matched his growing passion second for second, inch for inch, need for need. His hands slid past her shoulders, down her back, under the hem of her tanktop. His calloused hands, that she loved so much, caressed her skin. Pushing her shirt up, he circled her ribs, sending shivers up her spine, covering her with goosebumps. He found her firm, perky breasts and he buried his face in between, rubbing his stubble over her soft skin. Kissing the tops of her soft skin above her pink t-shirt material bra. He sat back for a second, gazing at her, admiring the view. Her perfect breast, her flat tummy with a few marks where carrying Madalyn had stretched her skin. 

Overcome by her, he looked back to her eyes, "You're perfect."

Beth, hardly able to think at all, pondered why the bad things people said about you were so much easier to believe than the good things.

She leaned into him then, kissing him from neck to ear, whispering, "Touch me. Put your hands on me."

Daryl wasn't a stupid man and did exactly what she told him to do. On the record player Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings crooned about not letting your babies grow up to be cowboys as her hands drifted down his chest and came to rest on his belt buckle. She hesitated. Part of her was thinking this was as good a time as any, and she wanted to be with him again. So badly. She wanted to show him she wasn't a nutcase scared off by sex.

But the mom in her told her no, that she shouldn't be here, making out, contemplating sex right in the next room from where her daughter slept.

As though reading her mind, Daryl pulled back from where he ravished her mouth and said "Don't overthink it Beth. We ain't gotta do anything you're not ready to. We got time to figure things out."

And she fell even more in love with him. She pulled back the end of his belt sliding it through the leather loop, pulling the belt out of the buckle.

Beth grinned a devilish smile, leaning her brow to his, she unsnapped his jeans. Running her teeth over her bottom lip. Sexy innocence.

"Let's go to your room."

"Ya' sure?"

Beth nodded, though her hands trembled, as they trailed back up to his chest.

They both jumped when the door clattered open. "Christ almighty, Daryl..."

Because fate was a bitch, Merle barged into the living room. Beth jumped off Daryl as though they were teenagers caught making out by her parents.

"Well looky here. Who's this?" Merle asked, not at all embarrassed by what he'd just walked in on.

Beth's shirt had fallen back into place when she leapt off Daryl's lap, but she pulled it down even further, feeling her face redden under Merle's gaze. She glanced to Daryl. His face lax and calm, he seemed less than concerned about Merle catching them about to have sex right there on the sofa. He stayed exactly as he was, leaned back comfortably on the sofa, shirtless, belt and the button to his jeans undone.

"Ain't ya' gonna' introduce me? Merle asked Daryl without taking his eyes off Beth.

Daryl's expression was so indistinguishable, Beth was unsure whether Daryl would kick him out or introduce them. Not wanting any more conflict, Beth was relieved when he chose the latter of the two.

He put his hand around the back of her neck, "This is Beth. Beth this is Merle." Waiting a beat, he then explained, "My brother."

Daryl looked at Beth apologetically, though she was not sure what he was sorry for. Was he sorry for her having to meet Merle, or that he hadn't told her about him yet?

"Beth, huh? Nice to meet ya'.

"She'll be staying on a while." Daryl said before Beth spoke.

"Will she, now?"

"Yeah. So you can stay for dinner, but you gotta find some place else to stay tonight." Daryl informed Merle, knowing he probably needed a place to crash.

Beth cringed at Daryl's bluntness.

Not in the least bit offended, Merle sat down on the lazy-boy chair that sat opposite of the couch. "From the looks of things ya'll ain't gonna be needing two beds."

As if on cue, Madalyn began to cry, having woke up from her nap in a dark, strange room and at all not happy about it. Beth took that as her exit.

"What the hell brother? Playin' house? With a woman _and_ a kid?" Merle asked Daryl after Beth left the room. Daryl was surprised he actually had the kooth to wait for her to leave.

"Yeah, so what of it?"

"A youngin'? It ain't even your baby...is it?"

"No. Will be if I have any say about it." Daryl smiled to himself. He was excited at the prospect of what the future held for Beth, Madalyn and himself.

Beth tired not to eavesdrop as she walked Madalyn back and forth in the small bedroom, bobbing her up and down, comforting her. But their voices carried.

"What's with you? All the sudden wanting to play house and be a daddy to some kid that ain't even yours?"

Daryl bristled, "Dontcha' think it's time I grew up?"

"You tried to grow up when you married Andrea, and you know how that mind-fuck ended."

"This is different."

"How the hell so?" Merle snapped back.

"Because I actually love Beth."

Merle's head snapped around to face Daryl. "No shit?" The question was rhetorical."And the baby? Where's it's real Daddy?"

Daryl never knew Merle cared so much about his baby brother before. "That's a whole other problem. And quit calling the baby it. _Her_ name is Madalyn."

 


	13. Chapter 13 - Pistol Packin' Mama

**Thank you all so much for reading/commenting. :) I really liked this chapter. I loved the dialogue between Beth and Merle. Hope you like it too.**

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Merle made Beth uncomfortable. From the way he spoke to the way he looked at her. He didn't look at her in an inappropriate or sexual manner. Leering at her thoughtfully, like he was trying to figure her out. He was nice enough to Madalyn. They kept their distance from him during the evening meal of Brats on the grill with a side of baked beans.

After dinner, when she came out of the bathroom after giving Madalyn a bath Merle had gone.

"Where'd your brother go?"

"Who knows...probably to the bar to get shi...umm drunk. Then home with some woman he doesn't know." Beth smiled as Daryl amended his wording in front of Madalyn.

Beth sat on the couch, placing Madalyn between them. Madalyn eyed Daryl then crawled up on his lap. Beth was shocked at her daughter's comfortableness with him.

"Hey Maddie May. You look all cozy in your pj's," Daryl said, speaking of her pink and blue striped leggings with a long sleeved onesie tucked into them.

Madalyn stood on his legs, wobbling a little, reaching for his hat. He took it off his head and put it on hers. Too large it drooped down below her eyes which had her laughing hysterically.

Beth sat back enjoying what was probably a normal occurrence in most households. She just never expected this to take place in hers, or rather Daryl's house. The idea simply never occurred to her. She accepted it would always be just her and Madalyn.

He took the hat off her head and spun it around so the bill was facing backwards. Madalyn jumped up and down on his legs while he balanced her with his hands on her waist. He was so comfortable with her and she with him. They sat like that for a while, laughing at Madalyn's funny antics, talking, watching some hunting show on the television. Madalyn crawling between the two of them, then playing on the floor, toddling around.

"I tell ya' what Beth, Madalyn's a pretty cool little kid," Daryl said watching her play with a blocks with the letters of the alphabet on the sides.

"Must take after her mother." Beth joked, smiling at Madalyn.

"She does." Daryl said in all seriousness. "Musta' been hard on ya'. Raising her on your own."

If anyone else, other than Maggie, had said as much to her she would've denied it. Never wanting anyone to misconstrue her words and think she think's of Madalyn as a burden. With Daryl she could be honest and hopefully he won't think less of her.

So, she nodded her head. "It has been hard. At the same time, the past year and a half has been amazing. It's the parenting conundrum. Something so difficult is also the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"How'd you do it?" He asked in somewhat awe of her.

Rolling her shoulders, she said, "I don't know. I just did it. As far as I'm concerned she didn't ask to be born to me, but she still was. So I need to do the best I can possibly do."

"That's alotta' pressure."

"I don't mind."

And Daryl realized she truly didn't mind. Like she said, Madalyn wasn't a burden, not that he thought she was. She was the best thing that had ever happened to Beth.

"Well." Daryl said, putting his arm around Beth and pulling her close, "You're not alone anymore. And as far as I'm concerned you never will be alone again."

Wanting so badly to believe him, she leaned over she placed her lips gently to his. Uncertainty plagued her, she felt as though she had been hurt too badly to fully ever trust anyone again.

-

When bedtime rolled around Beth picked up Madalyn and said "Say night to Daryl, time for bed."

Beth held her on her hip, waiting to see if Madalyn would talk to him again, as in say actual words. In the end she didn't. Instead she raised her pudgy little hand and waved bye to him.

Daryl found Beth rocking Madalyn in his bedroom a bit later. Madalyn was asleep, but Beth continued to rock her, running her fingers through the downy softness of her hair, staring out the window at the pitch black sky. Her mind was a million miles away.

"That was my mama's." His words brought Beth back to the present.

"What?"

"That rocking chair," he said nodding to her general direction as he sat on the edge of his bed.

It surprised Beth that the bed was made. Well, the cover was pulled up over the mattress anyway. The comforter was patchwork quilt; warn and soft looking. An image flashed in her mind of her and Daryl curled up there together on a Sunday morning. Sun shining through the window. Tiny footsteps coming from down the hall and Madalyn, a bit older, running into the room, jumping on their bed to snuggle in with them.

Quietly, Beth said, "It's surprisingly comfortable," speaking of the rocking chair.

"I think her daddy, or maybe it was her uncle, that made it. She use to rock me in it."

Beth ran her hand along the smooth wood of the armrest. "What's her name. Your mom."

"Caroline."

"That's pretty. Where is she, does she still live in the area?" Beth questioned.

"No. She died when I was ten."

Beth ached for the little boy Daryl once was. "Oh, Daryl, I'm so sorry."

He shrugged. " 's okay."

"What about your dad? Did you take care of you after..."

"Na'. Merle did. For the most part."

He was purposefully being evasive, and Beth figured if she had to tell him everything, then he did too. "That must of been hard."

"Yep." Simple word from a complex man.

"How'd she die?" Beth pushed, treading a line between being bothersome and genuinely curious about him and his childhood.

"Car accident. One day she was there, the next she wasn't."

"That's terrible."

"Yep." He rose with a grunt effectively ending the conversation for now. Going to them, Daryl looked down at Beth and the little girl in her arms. His mind filled with a million things he wanted to tell her, but it was late and they were both tired. Instead he lifted Madalyn out of Beth's arms and carried her into the other bedroom laying her down in the crib. Beth followed and watched as he so carefully pulled the light blanket over her sleeping daughter.

After he covered her, he looked down at her. He never realized just how precious a child could be. Sure, he liked kids. They were fun. He'd just never felt his heart pull toward one like it did with Madalyn. She was perfect. Her head of fuzzy blonde hair. Her large brown eyes. Her chubby little hands.

He turned and walked to Beth at the door, putting his hands on her hips pulling her close, as was his way. "I know you're not ready yet, but sometime soon. We gonna have a nice long talk."

"About what?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"About us."

"What about us?" This sounded serious and Beth would rather postpone what he wanted to say. Good or bad. She didn't know if her emotions could handle much more.

"I want you. Not just in my bed, but in my life. For the long haul. I want you to be my wife, carry my last name. Maddie too. I want to be her daddy. To show her what a dad is suppose to be." To be the father and husband his own father wasn't.

Beth opened her mouth, the only sound that came out was a tiny squeak.

"But I know you're not ready for any of that yet. Someday soon though...it's gonna' happen. I know it's what you want too. You're just too chickenshit to admit it."

Thankful for the doorjamb holding her up because her knees went weak and Daryl suddenly released her. His peace being said, he stalked off to his bedroom, shutting his door with a quiet click.

. . .

As the days went by, she and Madalyn settled into a new routine at Daryl's. It wasn't as difficult as she initially thought it would be. Daryl was greatly helpful with Madalyn and Beth loved being able to see him everyday. He was usually up and gone by the time they needed to be up for work or school, but every evening they had dinner together, the three of them. It was the domestic tranquility she craved.

Except for one thing. The constant nagging feeling Gareth was just around the corner, waiting to pounce. Waiting for the right time to make his move while she was alone at one of the houses she cleaned, or in her car on the way to one of her classes. Leaving Madalyn was absolute torture. The longer Gareth refused to show himself in one devious way or another, the more tense and stressed she became. The constant anxiety and fear she carried around with her was weighing her down. The police had been in contact with her with no leads as to where Gareth was. No surprise there. They were not as compelled to believe it was him who had broke into her house in the first place.

Daryl was with her when he could be. He had work and had a life too. Merle came around occasionally. Rick and his wife had come out for dinner one evening. Although, she kept busy, her fear was a constant. Always slithering around in her mind. Beth felt herself becoming impatient and grumpy.

One day, after a long day of school and work, she returned to Daryl's. Patricia had insisted on taking Madalyn to a local pizza joint with her own grandkids and promised to drop her off on the way home. Beth was looking forward to a nice long cool shower, maybe a cat nap and a dinner with Daryl. Her hopes were dashed when, as she pulled in the driveway, she saw Merle's motorcycle parked in its usual spot under the shade of the large oak in the front yard.

Merle was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a beer, thumbing through a truck and trader magazine when she entered the house, a bag of groceries on her hip. She had hoped to make fajitas for her and Daryl, maybe share a quiet meal together after her shower and nap. Just the two of them.

He turned in his chair giving her a nod of his head much like Daryl did. Daryl's nods, however, had a much different effect on her than his brothers did.

"Beth."

"Merle. Stayin' for dinner?"

"Na'. Wouldn't want to interrupt the happy lil' family." His words might of easily been misconstrued as sarcastic and mean, but they held no malice. Resolved to his presence, Beth began putting away the groceries.

Merle leaned back, long neck in hand. Beth felt the weight of his stare on her back. She worked quickly to get the groceries put away so she could retreat to the bathroom, to the shower, and a locked door.

"So whatcha you runnin' from?"

Without turning to face him, she asked, "What do ya' mean?"

"I'm not as dumb as ya'll think I am, girly. You runnin' from somethin'. Or someone."

She was unsure how much Daryl had told him about what happened or why she was there. Apparently it wasn't very much. Unless he was trying to get her side to the story. Merle didn't strike her as the type to care that much.

She decided to be upfront with him, she had nothing to hide. "My ex. He's not a good person. Trashed my place and I no longer felt safe there. Daryl brought me, I mean us, my daughter and I, here to stay a while."

"A while, huh?"

Annoyed she turned to him, wiping her hands on a dish towel, which was unnecessary. The groceries were put away, she just needed something to do with her hands. Merle made her nervous.

"Yes. Is that a problem for you?"

His eyes widened in surprise by her attitude, she was not going to let him intimidate her. A slight smile crossed his lips. Apparently he liked that about her.

"Not for me. I don't care whatcha all do. But I do care whatcha do with my brother. He's a good guy, always been kinda soft. A good man, jus' the same. That bitch Andrea fucked 'im up bad. I wouldn't want that to happen to him again."

Beth's respect for him grew, if only marginally. Maybe he was just being protective of his baby brother. No alliterative motive. "I won't do him that way."

Meryl nodded. "Good." Scooting his chair back, he stood and walked into the living room where she heard him rifling through something. Then she heard the lock to the gun cabinet click.

When he came back to the kitchen he was holding the Ruger 9mm pistol. Beth unconsciously took a step back against the counter. Making herself angry, she purposefully took a step forward. _Merle's not going to shoot you, you dummy_.

"Ever shoot one of these."

"No. Shot a rifle a few times when I was younger." Beth remembered her father standing behind her to protect her from falling backwards from the kick of the gun. Helping her hold the long barrel steady to aim the long barrel that was about as long as she was tall.

"'Bout time you learned." He walked out the door, screen slamming shut behind him. Beth guessed she was suppose to follow him.

Outside, on the fence post, she found him setting up empty cans of beer he retrieved from a twelve pack that was in the trash.

Merle demonstrated for her, explaining as he went. "Now the first thing you need to do is load the magazine...that's the cartridge with the bullets..."

Impatient, she snapped. "I know what a magazine is."

Ignoring her he went on, slipping the magazine into the well in the handgrip of the gun. It clicked into place. "To load a round into the chamber you need to pull the slide back as far it'll go." She watched as he, with his forefinger and thumb, pulled back the slide on top of the gun and released it.

"Never put your finger on the trigger unless you mean to shoot. But when you are ready to shoot, you gonna need to release the safety, which is this little button right here," he pointed to the button on the side of the gun near the hammer.

"There's a little S and a white dot meaning the safety's on." He pushed it in, "Red dot means the safety is off."

"Then ya' aim." Which he did at one of the cans. "And slowly squeeze the trigger. You don't wanna' jerk it. Just squeeze." Merle fired off a round, knocking one of the cans spiraling into the air.

"You don't gotta recock the gun, it'll keep firing till it's outta bullets." He fired off two more subsequent shots, and two beer cans followed the firsts lead, flying into the air. Despite herself Beth was impressed at his marksmanship

He then aimed the gun at the ground, clicking the safety on. He clicked the release button, the magazine falling out into his hand, he handed her both it and the pistol, handle first.

"You're up, girly."

Beth's hands began to sweat as she took the gun from him. Following his instructions and example she loaded it, pulled back the hammer, took aim, released the safety and squeezed the trigger. The recoil surprised her. It barely seemed to move in Merle's hand, in hers it kicked significantly. Missing the can, a small patch of dirt behind the targets blew in the wind from her wayward bullet.

"That's okay." Merle said with surprising patients. "You'll get there."

Pretty soon, after a full magazine of bullets, she was hitting her aim at every try.

"See, you a natural."

Beth surmised that was a pretty high compliment to receive from Merle.

Taking the gun from her, he retrieved a new magazine from his back pocket, inserted it and handed it back to Beth. "Carry this with you," he instructed.

"Don't I need a permit or something?"

Merle shrugged, "Probably."

"It would be illegal for me to carry it then," she stated the obvious.

"What's the law done for you so far? Have they found your ex yet? Arrested him?"

Looking down at the gun in her hand, she mumbled "No."

"Exactly. Let me tell you somethin' sister...he's not planning on letting the cops find him first. Sure," Merle shrugged his shoulders. "He could be exceptionally dumb and the cops could get lucky. I'm doubting that'll happen. He's gonna come after you. After your little girl, when no one, including you, is expecting it. You've gotta' be able to protect yo'self. And when you're backed into a corner by yourself, when my brothers not there to protect you, your gonna wish you had that gun."

Merle spoke the truth and the truth terrified her.

"Carry that with you, always. Remember, don't back up, and don't ever back down."

Eyeing the gun, then moving her eyes up to Merle's gruff face. "Is that the Dixon way?" Beth asked, repeating his own brothers words back to him.

"Damn straight, girly!"

They then shared an awkward laugh.

. . .

Daryl pulled into the driveway after work, Merle's bike parked in its usual spot under the tree. Few things surprised him in this life, what he saw next was in the definite top five; Merle and Beth. Target practicing.

He parked his truck and climbed out, walking over to where they stood off to the side of the house. "What the hell is goin' on here?" Daryl asked, approaching them.

"Merle's just teachin' me to shoot." Beth offered.

"Somethin' you should'a done long ago, baby brother," Merle chastised, cupping Daryl on the shoulder, letting out a bark of a laugh.

"Is that right?"

"Yep, well I guess I should go get dinner started. You're staying, right Merle?" Beth figured it's the least she could do to thank him for showing her how to use the gun.

"Uh huh," was his reply.

Beth nodded and turned her back, walking to the house, feeling Daryl's confused stare on her back as she walked away.

Once in the house she went straight to her room and shoved the gun deep down into her bag and placed it high and to the back of the tall dresser. When her eyes lifted from her bag she caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked exhausted, but she felt more confident. Merle spoke the truth and now she felt a bit more prepared if the situation in which he spoke of should arise.

. . .

"I tell ya' what, babe. If I woke up tomorrow and my head was sewn to the floor, I wouldn't be more surprised than I was when I pulled up and saw you and Merle target practicing."

Daryl sat at the kitchen table, beer in hand, much like Merle had sat earlier in the day. While they looked nothing alike and acted less alike, they shared a lot of the same mannerisms Beth observed.

Dinner was nice, some of the awkwardness that she normally felt around Merle had lifted and she was able to relax. Now, Merle having left for the bar, Beth stood at the sink, drying and putting away the dishes from dinner that Daryl had just finished washing.

"You don't mind, do you? That he was showing me how to shoot?"

Daryl pushed the idea away with his hand. "Na'. I been meaning to show ya', just wasn't sure how'd you feel about it."

Pondering a moment, looking her over from behind. She wore her usual old shorts and tank-top. Hair high in a messy bun. "It actually kinda turned me on."

Beth turned to face him, a smirk playing on his lips. He stood, walked to her. She backed into the counter as he placed a hand on the lip of the counter on each side of her, pinning her in. She ran her hands over his broad, muscular shoulders.

"Why's that?" Beth asked rolling her eyes.

He shrugged. "I dunno. You're my Pistol Packin' Mama."

Babe, honey, sweetheart. Of all the terms of endearment he could call her, Pistol Packin' Mama had to be her favorite.

"You just seem to be a pretty perfect woman." His idea was if he told her this enough she would one day begin to believe it, as he did. As the truth.

She snorted "Hardly."

He nuzzled her neck, sending shivers down her spine. His voice muffled as he went on. "You're beautiful. Smart as whip. A hard worker. You cook. Take care of your daughter. And now you shoot pretty damn good too."

Beth laughed at the absurdity of it. When he put his lips on her skin she couldn't think and articulate little more. His skin quivered as she lightly traced her fingernails down his ribcage to his hips.

"Daryl," she said on a moan.

"Hmmm?" He asked, distracted by her hands, and by his own hands. Feeling her body through her clothes. Wanting desperately to feel her skin under his hands instead of those clothes. Making that happen, he lifted her shirt up over head before she had a chance to resist him.

"Patricia will be here soon…"

Biting lightly at her collarbone, he said, "Yeah...soon. Not right now."

After a moment of ravishing her lips, he pulled back. "I don't know what it is 'bout you. But I want you more than anyone I've ever wanted. It ain't even comparable."

His words went straight to her belly. "But we can't…"

"I love you, Beth."

She stared at him a moment, she believed him. He loved her. Finer words have never been spoken to her. "Oh, what the hell?"

Pushing her body hard against his, he stumbled back and into the table, neither losing their grip on one another. It was a furey of hands, and lips, touching and kissing. Frantic to relieve themselves of any and all clothing. Fighting to get Daryl's shirt over his head, Daryl tugged at it, while ravishing her with his mouth, all the while trying to kick out a chair, sitting down before they fell to the floor completely.

Once he was sitting in the upright positions, Beth pulled away. His skin aching without her's against it. What was she doing, did she change her mind again? He understood her trepidation, but holy hell, he wanted her so badly he could taste it.

She stood in front of him, wearing a purple bra with black dots, she reached down to the button of her jeans, flipping it open wiggling out of her shorts and kicked them off her toes. Straddling him on the chair, she reached between them, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. Feeling for his hardened cock, she grasped it in her hand, forcing Daryl to suck in air.

"Damn, woman. Ya' gonna' kill me yet." It was just a hand on his cock, it'd happened before. The smoothness of her palm, her elongated fingers, the way the stroked him back and forth, back and forth, as he made busy work with his tongue on her nipple was different from any other experience he'd had.

Beth smirked, knowing she had him in that precarious space between agony and ecstasy. Her toes, barely grazing the ground, she pushed her body up, and moving her panties aside, she slid down onto him.

And though it wasn't the best or most articulate thing to say, he moaned out "Fuck." His head falling back, his eyes rolling up and they began to move in unison. Because of their position, there was no easing into things. No going slow. Deep thrusts from the weight of Beth's body and her positioning, and Daryl's pushing upward. Grasping her hips, trying to slow her down otherwise this wasn't going to last long. But, Beth would have none of it. She fought against the strength of his hands and pushed up on her toes only to fall back down onto his lap, impaling herself on his cock over and over.

Her body began to stiffen, her stomach muscle taught. Her breath came out in short gasps, her eyelids becoming heavy, slowly closing.

"Look at me." Daryl ground out through clenched teeth. And she opened her eyes again, "I want you to look at me when you come."

Obliging him, she focused on his steel blue eyes. She was close and his hand grazed up to her breast, squeezing her nipple, ever so slightly, and that's all it took. Her body suddenly clenched and released, clenched and released, clenched and released.

Slowly she floated back to earth, slowing the motion of her body, but not completely stopping. Her arms wrapped around Daryl's shoulders, his hands sprawled on her ribs, practically holding her up. Placing light kisses to her mouth, he unintentionally moaned as their bodies began picking up speed again.

"Wait, Beth. Babe? We forgot somethin'."

Realizing what he meant, Beth froze. "Talk 'bout being caught up in the moment."

"Right?" But, Daryl didn't cease moving. Matter of fact, he sped up the pace.

"What are you doin'?" She breathed out, a sexy purr.

"I don't wanna' stop. It feels so damn good. _You_ feel so damn good. Do ya' want me to stop?" He questioned.

"Probably should," she said. But, she began picking up speed, her toes pushing down on the wood floor making her calves burn. Her hips beginning to ache at the precarious position she was in. She didn't care. She would stay in this position forever if she could only hold onto to the way Daryl was making her body feel.

"You're treading dangerous territory, girl."

She was, or he was. Neither was sure, neither really cared. Their body's seemed to be acting of their own accord. Up and down, faster and faster. The friction insurmountable. A feral moan came from deep within Daryl's throat, grasping Beth's hips, he quickly lifted her and pulled out, clasping her body against his, he came on her stomach.


	14. Chapter 14 - Its Not Dark Yet

**Another great song by Bob Dylan called Not Dark Yet. (Yes I like other music besides Dylan and the 70s and 80s haha.) But you should look up this song too. ;)**

**This is complete Bethyl fluff and I do not apologize for it. Not even a little.**

**Its probably unnecessary at this point to say that Beth and Daryl have kind of traded places in this Fic, with Beth being the one with a few more issues than Daryl. It's been fun writing it a little backwards. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

After their little escapade on the kitchen chair, they had just enough time to shower - together - before Patricia was knocking at the door with Madalyn on her hip.

Beth tossed her towel into the laundry room as she passed on her way back into the living room, straightening her shirt, and Daryl sat ever so nonchalantly at the chair that they'd just had sex on, sipping his beer. The only indication of what had transpired was that Cheshire cat grin he wore on his face and his damp hair.

"Come on in, Patricia," Daryl hollered from where he sat.

Patricia peeked her head in the door and by way of greeting said, "You got a real nice place out here." Taking in the surroundings of the interior of the cabin, the living room combined with the kitchen making one room. Putting Madalyn on the floor along with her diaper bag. "Real nice on the inside too."

Patricia watched as Beth greeted Madalyn and hung the diaper bag on a hook near the door, and Daryl picked Madalyn up onto his lap. She pulled off his hat and tried, unsuccessfully, to put it back on.

"Thanks, we'll be adding on here soon. Couple more bedrooms; push out the living room a bit." Daryl told Patricia.

She didn't miss their domestic comfortableness. Or their matching damp heads. Daryl at the table with Madalyn on his lap. And Beth stood at the table. Patricia also didn't miss the look they gave each other, ever so briefly, when he talked about adding more room onto the cabin. It also didn't bypass her when he used the pronoun 'we'll' instead of 'I'll'.

_"We'll be adding on here soon."_

Patricia tried her best to hide the grin that spanned her face. She cleared her throat. "Well this broad is exhausted. Time to get home and to bed. I'll see you and Madalyn tomorrow and Daryl I hope to see you soon."

"Okay Patricia, thanks."

"Not a problem."

Daryl rose with Madalyn on his hip and held open the door for Patricia. "Drive safe."

. . .

The evening went much like the others had. Uneventful, just the way Beth preferred it. Cleaning Madalyn up from dinner, getting her ready for bed. She had extra energy, apparently Patricia had snuck her a Coke or something because Madalyn ran from one end of the cabin to the other. Beth chasing her all the way.

"Madalyn, get back here. You got to get ready for bed now. Though I don't know how you're ever gonna' fall asleep," Beth said on laugh. Daryl took it all in stride, chuckling every time the little girl would dodge her mother.

As Madalyn ran through the living room, Daryl swooped her up mid run and flung her up and onto his shoulder. Tickling her ribs as she went. Never growing tired of her laugh, Beth stood watching Madalyn and Daryl. It was a relief that they were already seeming to form a bond. At the same time, it worried Beth. What if it didn't work out? What if...what if...what if... Beth admonished herself to just be in the moment and relax a little. Something she was rarely able to do.

"You are not helping anything," Beth joked, watching Daryl work Madalyn into even more of a laughing fit.

"Aw come on Ma', she jus' needs to get her wiggles out. Want to go for a walk Maddie May?" Daryl asked her, lowering her to his hip.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Daryl it's gettin' late," Beth protested.

"The suns just setting. Perfect time for a walk."

Giving in, Beth walked with them out the back door and into a wonderland of the summer filled country. Instinctively Beth reached down for Madalyn's hand, who shrunk away from her, and cupped her tiny hand with Daryl's large one.

Her heart melted watching the two people she loved most in this crazy messed up world they live in walk hand in hand. Daryl talked quietly to Madalyn, pointing out this or that. A hawk in the sky, a certain type of flower. And Madalyn appeared to listen intently to him, looking up at him with those big brown eyes.

Walking along with her little bare feet in the grass, she stumbled and fell. Scraping her knee. Beth, being the overprotective mom she was, began to fuss over the tiny cut on her knee. But Daryl was right there and whipped off the dirt and the tiny bit of blood with the hem of his t-shirt and told Madalyn, "All better." And it was, just like that. Madalyn sniffled a tiny bit, then began running onto the next thing. Something so little that would've once sent sensitive Madalyn into a tissy, was made better in all of five seconds. It was a strange feeling to have someone there to help her. To make things better. She began the slow realization that she could lean on Daryl. That it was okay, it was safe.

Falling a couple steps behind them, Beth pulled at Daryl's hand, turning him around while Madalyn kept up her inspection of a wild rose bush ahead of them, Beth stood on her toes gently but passionately placing her lips to Daryl's.

When she pulled back, Daryl smiled and asked, "What was that for?"

"Just 'cause."

. . .

As much as Beth wanted to stay in that idyllic moment of their life with the sky yellowing into a perfect pink as the sun set, Madalyn needed to get to bed, and Beth had to get to get ready for bed herself. That feeling carried to the next day though. Her heart felt lighter, school didn't seem as tortuous or long and her step may even of been a little lighter as she walked through the parking lot to her car.

Her hand poised to open her car door when she snapped it back as though a rattle snake was wound around the door handle. It wasn't a snake. It was worse. A flower, a pale pink rose to be exact, balanced by its stem in the door handle. Beth's mood plummeted to the ground.

Whipping her head around peering from face to face, vehicle to vehicle. No one looked particularly menacing or out of place. No one appeared dangerous. She looked forward, and then behind her. There, two rows back, parked in a Dodge Charger with tinted windows, was a shadow behind the windshield. Hat pulled down low over the driver's face. Just sitting in the car. Looking ahead, straight at her. Beth lifted the rose in her hand and let it slip through her fingers, dropping it to the ground. Staring at the person in the Charger, she crushed it with her heel as she opened her door and got in the car.

As she exited the parking lot the Charger followed her. She tried to reason with herself. Plenty of other classes got out at the same time hers did. He was another student leaving campus, just like she was. But if that were true, why did he appear to be following her. When she sped up, he sped up. When she slowed down, he slowed down. When she switched lanes he did as well. Beth sped up, swerving into the passing lane, then back into the right lane before zipping down a side street. Trying to lose him, she made another quick right.

Hands shaking on the steering wheel she slowed the car to a crawl. Then, as she made another right, trying to make it back to the main road, there his car was, coming at her in the left lane. As Beth drove with her left hand, with her right hand she reached for her bag on the passenger side seat. Digging out the 9mm pistol.

Placing it on her lap, gripping it with her right hand and white knuckling the steering wheel with her left. He slowly swerved into the middle of the road, effectively blocking her path, playing a slow game of chicken. Beth was unsure what to do and her panic began to morph into all out fear.

Merle's words echoed in her head, " _Don't back up, and don't ever back down."_ Part of her wanted to confront Gareth. Get it over with. The other more rational side wanted to throw the car in reverse and get the hell out of there. Time was running short; she had to make a decision. Her foot on the break. Hand on the gear-shiftier.

She threw the car into reverse, backed into a nearby driveway and flung the car into drive. Tires squealing on the pavement she took off in the direction she came. Flying down the side street, way over the posted speed limit, leaving him in her rearview mirror. When she looked again a moment later, he was no longer there. He'd had his fun in terrorizing her. For now.

Making her way back to the main road she pulled into a gas station. She hoped Gareth wasn't stupid enough to try anything there, in a busy public place. She dug her phone out of her bag hesitating to call Daryl. This was her problem, not his. But she wanted him. Needed him and his sensible strongness. Dialing Daryl's cell number, hands shaking so badly it took two tries to hit the correct buttons.

No answer. Most of the time he didn't' hear his phone over the noise in the shop so she dialed the garages main number.

"Grimes." Rick answered on the third ring.

"Rick? Is…"her voice began to give away and shuttered under a sob. "Is Daryl there?"

"Beth? Is something wrong?"

"I … need…" Sobbing full force now.

"Where are you?" He asked, then his voice further away, he said, "Hey Tyreese. Go get Daryl. Now." Then he was back, speaking urgently, "Where are you?" He asked again.

"The gas…gas station. On the cor...corner of 4th and Main," she stuttered.

"Stay there. We'll be there in five minutes."

Beth disconnected the call. Tears falling from her eyes, down her cheeks and dripping onto the pistol that she still gripped in her hand. She sat in her locked car watching the clock on her dash as one minute passed. Then two. True to his word Rick and Daryl pulled into the gas station parking lot five minutes later.

Her shaking subsided to a dull tremor as she unlocked the door for Daryl who bent down next to her. Rick stood behind him, watching for something or someone out of the ordinary.

"Baby, what happened?" Taking notice of the pistol, he pried it from her hand and tucked it into the back waistband of his jeans.

"Gareth. He was at the school. He followed me. I tried to lose him."

"It's okay. He's gone now. Scoot over. We are going to get Madalyn and go home."

Then he turned and spoke to Rick. "I'm sorry man, but I gotta take the rest of the day off."

"Don't worry about it. You gotta do what you gotta do."

Tears falling steadily down her face, anger mixed with embarrassment began to bubble to the surface. It didn't take a genius to figure out Gareth was becoming impatient to get to her. First with the unidentified numbered text. Then the rose. Then defacing her car. And then breaking into her apartment. His behavior was escalating becoming more and more unstable. This was the first time he physically came that close to her. In the light of the middle of the day. And what did she do? Nothing. Even with a gun in her hand, she panicked. Called Daryl to come rescue her. _Stupid coward,_ Beth rebuked herself.

Swallowing her tears, Beth said, "No. I'm sorry I called you, bothered you both at work. I'll be fine. I'll go get Madalyn and bring her with me to work. I'm sure Gareth has had his fun for the day." She hoped.

Daryl looked at her like she was crazy. "What? No. We are goin' home. You're not goin' to work today."

"And why not? Like I said I'm sorry to bother you. You got to come down here. Rescue the little woman in distress. I have to work. I don't have the luxury of just taking a timeout from my life." But good Lord, she wanted to.

"It's not safe to..." Daryl began but Beth interrupted him.

"And what about tomorrow? And the day after that? And the day after that? I can't just hide away forever."

Rick turned his back to Beth, quietly spoke to Daryl, "Just let her go. She's upset. You'll see her tonight."

Daryl knew a losing fight when he saw one. He held up his hands in retreat, walking backwards to the truck. He watched as she got back into the Jimmy and left the gas station. She was right, she couldn't just stop her life because some asshole had a hard-on to terrorize her. Still, with Rick driving, they followed her to Patricia's neighborhood. Her anger was misdirected at him and he tried not to let it bother him. The situation was weighing on her, she was under immense stress. And calling him, needing his help, hurt her independent pride. If he was being honest, though, her rebuff still stung. This whole situation was getting out of hand, it was time he did something about it instead of sitting on his ass waiting for Gareth to make the next move.

. . .

Beth went straight to Patricia's and after explaining what had happened, gathered Madalyn and took her to the house she was cleaning that afternoon. Madalyn was a good child, playing right next to her as she went about the giant house cleaning room after giant room.

Beth felt worn out. That, she thought, was the best way to describe it. From her highs when she was with Daryl, to her lows when she began to second guess herself. To being terrified at not knowing the extent of which Gareth is capable of. Her life was becoming a whirlwind of instability and panic. And mistakes. She hoped Daryl wasn't one of those mistakes.

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her cell and sent Daryl a quick text. Simply texting the word, _"Sorry."_

He responded within a few moments. _"No problem, babe."_

 _"Just like that?"_ Beth wondered where he seemed to get his endless amount of patients.

" _Yep, people fight. When I said I was in this for the long haul I meant it."_

. . .

After work, Daryl and Merle sat outside the crap-shack Gareth called home. Didn't look like anyone was there, no vehicle was parked in the drive. Daryl suspected he would park elsewhere and come in on foot so as not to draw attention. No signs of life emitted form the trailer, except for a lit porch light. Daryl had hoped he was home and saw them parked out on the road, watching him. See how he liked it.

"Come on, let's go pay him a visit." Merle suggested from the passenger side of the truck. He sounded almost giddy at the prospect.

"Na'. We don't even know if he's there."

"Whatsa matter? You lost your nerve? The Daryl I used to know wouldn't hesitate for a second to teach this somabitch a lesson."

Daryl didn't allow his hackles to be raised and continued to stare out his window, smoke from his cigarette curling around his head. "Don't you think it's best to have a plan before you go in guns blazin'?"

"No, actually I don't."

"Well, I'd rather not spend the rest of my life in jail because I killed some low life piece of shit."

Merle, feeling nullified, rolled his shoulders like it was nothing. "When did you get to be so...practical."

Daryl wasn't sure if it was practicality or the fact that he was finally growing up and growing out of the short tempered, 'act now worry about the consequences later' way of thinking, but he was sure it had something to do with Beth and Madalyn. He had to think of the repercussions of his actions. The repercussions it would have on them as well. If he acted on the whim to beat the living hell out of Gareth, he'd most likely be arrested and then Beth and Madalyn would be left alone. And he can't let that happen.

"Ya' know," Merle began, his voice a bit softer than his normal gruff tone. "I like Beth."

Daryl would be lying to himself if he said that didn't make at least a a little nervous. "Oh yeah?" He said, trying to sound neutral.

"Not in _that_ way, jackass." Merle cuffed Daryl on the shoulder. "I mean. I think she's good for you."

"Really? Great. Because I was waiting for your approval." Daryl joked sarcastically. Inside, though, Merle's approval did mean something to him. After all the shit they had been through, he was still his brother. His only family left.

"I didn't mean for things to happen like they did with Andrea. I really didn't."

He'd heard the story before. Andrea wanted to hurt Daryl. To piss him off. So, she went down to the bar where she happened upon an already drunk Merle. Buying him drink after drink, Merle became totally obliterated. Merle actually wondered how he got it up to do the deed to begin with. Either way, the deed was done. By morning word had gotten around town, and to Daryl, that Andrea, his wife for fuck's sake, had left the bar very drunk and very late with his brother.

"I know you didn't," Daryl said simply. Daryl had forgiven him a long time ago and once he forgave him that was that. They slid back into silence, watching the trailer.

Merle cleared his throat, "I can watch out for her. Keep an eye on things. From a distance."

Daryl thought on that for a moment. Merle following Beth on his Harley. He was less than conspicuous on that thing. He'd probably draw more attention to himself than anything else. Beth would definitely notice, that was for sure. "Thanks, but no."

"Well why the hell not?"

One look from Daryl told him what and why he thought that plan.

Merle chuckled, "Alright, alright. I got this friend. Owes me one. He's kinda' bounty hunter, but not really. He can keep an eye on her when we ain't around. His name's Shane. Ain't right in the head, but it's better 'n nothin'..."

Daryl wasn't sure he was comfortable with one of Merle's cronies following Beth either. Maybe, just maybe Merle had the right idea, it was better than nothing.

After some time, Merle became bored. "Well shit, nothin's happening. Let's go. Pay him a visit when we know he's home."

"Yeah," Daryl agreed, flicking his cigarette out the window and gunned the truck to life.

After dropping Merle off to his bike parked by the bar, Daryl took the long way home. Checking the back roads for any cars or persons out of place that might be watching his cabin from a distance. He knew the few neighbors he had pretty well. He knew what they drove, who lived with them. Even though Beth was home with Madalyn right now, alone, he wanted to check things out.

The house was lit, but unsettlingly quiet on the inside. No sign of either Beth or Madalyn. Daryl circled the living room, looking for any sign of them. Their shoes were at the door. Madalyn's diaper bag hung on its usual hook…panic began to rise in the back of his throat. Suddenly the bathroom door opened and the sound of Madalyn's little feet patted on the hardwood floor. He turned in time to catch her as she lept into his arms. Relief washed over him and he held her tight. Thanking God for small miracles. Beth followed Madalyn. Shirt still damp from Madalyn's bath.

Madalyn wriggled down and began to dig in a box of toys that found its way into the corner of the living room at some point of their obtaining occupancy of the cabin. Beth stood a good five feet away from Daryl. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey yourself." He took a step, then another and had her in his arms before she could deny him. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his smokey scent, her body relaxing for the first time since the incident with Gareth.

"I'm sorry. 'Bout earlier," Beth mumbled into his chest.

"Don't go 'pologizing. We were both upset. There's no protocol for how y'all are supposed to behave when your crazy ex follows you, and scares the hell outta ya'."

He pulled back slightly, willing her to look back up at him. And when she did he gently rested his lips on hers.

. . .

After a quiet dinner just the three of them, Madalyn was snuggled up with Daryl on the couch, looking through a children's book about colored fish.

Beth said to Madalyn, "Baby girl, time to get ready for bed." She didn't look tired at all, but Beth sure was so bedtime it was. Madalyn whined and shook her head no, pushing herself back up against Daryl's chest.

Beth figured she had two choices in this situation. One; she could be upset by Madalyn choosing Daryl over her. Or, two; she could be happy about Madalyn's apparent acceptance of Daryl. She chose number two, smiling down at them.

"Why don't you go get a shower. I'll watch her." Daryl suggested. She was dead on her feet, exhausted from life in general and Gareth's special guest appearance of the day.

Beth hesitated, biting her lip in contemplation. Never once, other than Patricia and that one time leaving her with Maggie had anyone else watched Madalyn. Especially while she did something like shower. Patricia watching Madalyn was out of necessity, not because she just needed a moment to bathe.

"Go on. We'll be fine."

Normally Beth took a quick five minute shower in the morning. It often getting interrupted by a fussy baby that had just woke up. Fifteen minutes in the shower. Alone. Well, it sounded like a Jamaican vacation. Beth gave up her unnecessary worries and disappeared down the hallway and into the bathroom.

"Alright, Miss. Maddie May. Want to listen to some music?" He really had no idea what to do to get a child to sleep, other than the times he witnessed Beth do it. When he young he vaguely remembered his mother playing records, or just singing to him at bedtime. Her voice still echoed in his mind.

He guessed Madalyn was game, though, as she toddled over to the stack of records and picked one off the top. Taking it from her, he took the record from the sleeve and placed it on the turntable, placing the needle on the first track and music softly filled the room.

Daryl considered the little girl next to him, lifting her tiny arms up to him. In the short time it's been, he couldn't imagine his life with her. Or her mother. He bent down and picked her up into his arms and she so effortlessly, so naturally, put her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Ya' know Maddie," he began. His voice as close to a whisper as the deep rumble went. "I love your Mama. And I love you," he said to Madalyn. She seemed unconcerned with his words, twirling her little fingers around the shaggy ends of his hair.

"I'd like to be your daddy. Do you think you'd like me to be your daddy?"

Madalyn lifted her head and looked intently into his eyes, then she nodded her head, she said, "Yes."

Clear as day, she spoke again, as though she understood his words, understood what he was asking of her. Then she laid her head back down to his shoulder and he continued with their little super slow dance in the middle of the living room to the twange of Bob Dylan. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, but his world moved with the gravity of the moment.

Fifteen minutes later when Beth resurfaced, she felt like a new woman. Hair washed. Twice. Legs shaved. Lotion applied. The living room was dark except for the tiny bit of light a table top lamp that sat on the end table provided. A song scratched out from the old record player.

 _Shadows are falling and I've been here all day._  
_It's too hot to sleep, times is running away_  
_Feel like my soul has turned to steel_  
_I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal_  
_There's not even room enough to be anywhere_  
_It's not dark yet, but it's getting there._

As Beth's eyes adjusted to the darker light she saw Daryl in the middle of the living room. Swaying back and forth in kind of a slow dance with Madalyn in his arms. She was sound asleep, her face smushed against his shoulder. The sight brought a warmth to Beth's body she hadn't realized was missing. These two people healed all her aches and pains. They fixed everything that was wrong. She suddenly felt something she never had felt before; optimism for the future. She hid back in the darkness of the hallway for a moment, taking in the scene.

Daryl saw Beth as she came out of the darkened hallway. She was wearing nothing but an old t-shirt that came mid-thigh, showing off those long legs. He was doing his best to keep his hands to himself, sleeping in the room right next to her every night, so close, yet feeling miles away, was almost killing him. Then, when she walked into the living room, hair long down her back, smelling of sweet scented soap, with that look upon her face, he could feel his resolve begin to deteriorate

There was an ache in his chest, right under his sternum. Not a bad ache. An ache that made his heart squeeze with emotion. He wasn't sure if it was Beth, or if it was the little girl he rocked in his arms. Most likely a combination of the two. One thing was for certain, he wanted them in his life. Not just for the temporary. Or for any momentary protection he may offer them. But forever. Both of them. And he had to find out if Beth felt the same way. He was a simple man, not big on suspense.

Their eyes met over Madalyn's droopy head. Reaching up, she put her arms around them, hugging them both.

"If I wasn't already totally, madly in love with you, I think this would send me over the edge. You're so good with her."

He shrugged. "She makes it easy." Suddenly his face became very serious. Focused. Intent. Speaking the words that echoed in his mind:

"Marry me."


	15. Chapter 15 - Surprise

**Oooookay. I have to get something off my chest. Someone left a review, a very detailed and long review, basically listing everything I did wrong with a story. And, of course, they did it anonymously so I can not contact the commenter personally. In all fairness, they did try to leave an email (what?). But, I just wanted to clarify a few things, this is FANFIC. I am not real writer, which I've said numerous times. I write for myself, usually at midnight, when I'm pretty worn out from the day. I do not have the time or inclination for perfection.** **And, I mean, why go there and leave a list of mistakes on someone else's story? On a finished story no less. What's the point?**

**In my fics, yes, there are going to be spelling errors. Grammar errors too. I don't use a beta any longer as I don't want to bother anyone. Plus, I have nothing to prove! Again, this is FanFic, not the Shawshank Redemption. I want people to enjoy my stories and I want them to be good, but seriously, this is not my day job. Obviously.**

**That being said, I so appreciate my readers. Your comments bring me so much joy. (And I can tell the difference between someone venting because something happened in the story that was frustrating or angsty - this is no big deal, versus someone that wants to just be pompous.) Thank you to all who realize that I am just a hobby writer. Thank you to everyone who reads my stories without complaint because I spell something wrong, or I make something happen that wouldn't really happen in real life (Reminder: This is fiction! And I can do whatever I want lol.) or I contradict myself.**

**So, more or less, this rant has turned into a cautionary tale about remembering your story writers are human and make mistakes, just like anyone else. And just like anyone else, they have feelings.**

**I am so appreciative and thank all my wonderful readers that read even though I am not a perfect writer. Thank you so much guys. *heart* *heart* *heart***

* * *

Beth dropped her arms to her hips, cocked her head in shock.

"Uhh…excuse me?"

"Marry me," he repeated, calmer this time, with the utmost assuredness.

She wondered if he momentarily forgot what her life was like at this moment? What a mess she was? What her life had been in the past? Why would he want her messing things up?

"Have you lost your damn mind?"

"No, I think for the first time in my life, I'm thinkin' clearly."

As she wrinkled her nose at him, walked from the room and into Beth's, laying Madalyn in her crib. When he returned Beth still stood in the middle of the room, hands still on her hips. A look of confused befuddlement on her face. He took her by the wrists and pulled her to the couch, setting her next to him.

"I told myself I could wait. That I could give you time to let you see that I am who I say I am. And I do what I say I'll do. You know how I feel 'bout you. About Madalyn. She's such an amazing kid. And you…" He looked down, frustrated at his lack of words. "I'm sorry. I ain't never been good with words, or sayin' what I feel."

Beth spoke softly, "You're doin' fine." Her heart beat pitter-patter in her chest. Yes, he was doing just fine.

"I love you Beth. And I love Madalyn."

Beth felt tears prick at the backs of her eyes. _He loves my baby girl._ Her nose turning pink as it did, he had come to learn, from unshed tears.

"I think we should get married. I want to give ya'll the things you deserve. Be my wife and I'll live the rest of my life making sure you never regret it." He hadn't planned on asking her to marry him so soon. He was going to at least hold off till she was finished with school and this whole thing with Gareth was taken care of. But, there was something about the way she looked at him as he held her baby. Like he was the best man in the world. No one had ever looked at him that way. Ever.

Beth couldn't believe her ears. She never knew she wanted this. Never allowed herself to think that someday she would find an amazing man that loved not only her but her daughter as well.

"You will make a great husband and father." Beth reassured him, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"Does that mean you're saying yes?"

Her eyes rose from her hands to his intent blue eyes made almost royal in color from the lack of light in the room. Her face shining with excitement. "Yes. Yes I will marry you."

Daryl thought his heart would burst at that very second. Leaning over to her, he claimed her mouth with his as Beth swung her legs around to straddle his lap. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she quickened the pace of their kiss. Their tongues dancing together in a musicless medley. Needing him, needing his touch, his kiss. Equal parts, love and passion, mixed with a tiny bit of desperation. Was this really happening? Daryl was afraid he'd awake in the morning to an empty house, having dreamt up this whole scenario. Beth's hands drifted to the bottom of his shirt pulling it up, Daryl's hands clamped down on her wrists.

"No…hold up." Confused she searched his face for explanation. "Wait a sec…" he said, setting her on the couch as he rose. Smiling down at her, he said, "Don't go nowhere."

He came back a second later, a small velvet box in his hand. Sitting down next to her, he angled his body toward hers.

"Here." He put the box in her palm. When Beth only stared at it he chuckled, prompting her, "Open it up."

Deep breath, as the box creaked open, two rings of white gold shone in the low light. The engagement ring held three stones. Two smaller, with the bigger one in the middle. Tiny diamonds circled the middle stone. The wedding band was a plain silver band.

"It's not much but…"

"No, Daryl. It's perfect."

He took the box from her and took out the engagement ring, setting the box with the wedding band still inside on the coffee table. As he moved he spoke: "These were my mamas. My father...well he was an asshole on a good day. I'm not sure why she married him to begin with, someone said once that she had to because she was pregnant with Merle. Whatever the reason, she did marry him. Daddy was said to of won the rings at a poker game. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't of gotten her a wedding ring. But anyway," he said, realizing he was babbling. "She never wore them after I was born, said they didn't fit right. She kept them hid in her dresser drawer so my father couldn't pawn them. After she died, I did the same thing. Hid them so he or Merle couldn't pawn them. They were all I had left of her 'sides a couple pictures. I was never sure why I held on to them all these years. Until now. Now I know why. Just so I could give them to you." He took her left hand in his and slid the engagement ring onto her fourth finger. It fit perfectly.

Beth looked down at her hand and the tiny shiny diamonds reflected in the low light.

"It's beautiful Daryl." She kissed him then as if to seal the deal, his smile landing on her lips.

Clearing his throat of emotion, he asked, "So. When do you wanna' get married?"

"Soon." Beth answered, blushing at her own eagerness.

Daryl leaned his brow to hers and whispered, "I agree."

Standing, Daryl held his hand out to Beth and she willingly let him pull her up from the sofa, his strong solid arms wounding around her waist pulling her close. His head lowering, his lips pressing to hers. He pulled her down the hall, into his bedroom, lightly closing the door shut.

Daryl lips began to wreak havoc on her every sense. Every nerve ending was sparked afire. Pushing her body up against the door, he kissed her breathless. While one hand fisted in her hair, the other hand reached under the old t-shirt she wore and then slid inside her panties. All without breaking the kiss. Beth moaned into his mouth, wet where he caressed her. He maneuvered her to the bed, laying her down, she was already trying to squirm out of her shirt.

When it came to Daryl Dixon she was downright easy. She would give him whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Daryl finally ended the kiss, proceeding to rid himself of his shoes, of the demin binding his body uncomfortably. Impatient she removed her own shirt, then pulled his off as well, kissing those shoulders she loved so much. And then he rose and slowly rid her of her practical white cotton underwear. She was positive no one had ever kissed the back of her knees, but halleluia! When Daryl brushed a wet kiss against the sensitive skin there, she was sure her insides quaked so hard that it caused a mini seismic event in Georgia that night.

She whimpered in anticipation when he found himself between her legs, parted her thighs, kissing her. A shudder of violent need moved through her. "Take it easy," he chuckled, before diving in. Afterall, they had all night baring Madalyn didn't wake up.

_Take it easy?_ Was her serious? She was on fire, shaking her head from side to side. "Please," she pleaded, tangling her fingers in his shaggy hair.

And then he took her full in his mouth, nibbling, suckling, and she arched her back and cried out. Slowly teasing her with his tongue, Daryl murmured, "Uh-uh, not so fast babe."

"I don't wanna' take it easy."

Daryl turned his head, ran his lips along the length of her inner thigh, following the line where her thigh and hip met, nipping her jutting hip bone with his teeth. Easing up on her elbows, she looked down at Daryl who was doing wonderful things with his tongue and her navel. "Daryl," she moaned. "Don't make me kill you before we're even married.

Daryl chuckled, looking up to her he winked before crawling his way up her body. "Ya' gonna' be my wife?" He asked, a roughness to his voice.

_Now he want's to talk?_ But a softness covered the sharp impatience of her face, "If you'll have me."

"I'll have ya' every damn day." Daryl spoke. "So, are we starting a family now? Or..."

It took a moment for Beth's clouded brain to catch up to his words. "Oh," her eyebrows rose. "Umm...we should probably wait." A baby? With Daryl? The idea made her already beating heart pound in her chest. Now, though, just wasn't the right time.

"You're probably right." Still he laid in between her legs, poised and ready. After a moment that seemed to stretch out to eternity, the intensity building between the two of them. In the end, in the bedside table, he took a condom from the drawer and only hesitated slightly before putting it on. Settling between her legs again, he thrust himself into her.

The fiction of his hardness against her soft wetness was insurmountable. She tried to speak. To tell him how she felt, how much she loved him. How she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him. Through the good and the inevitable bad. But the words wouldn't come out. Clearly he understood her in an unspoken way that no one had ever connected to her before.

Beth arched against him as he pounded into her, his movements became quicker and harder. Her own body matching his, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. Just as she tightened and cried out, her body flexing powerfully, almost painfully, around him, he exploded in instantaneous release.

Both floated slowly back to earth in eachothers arms, Daryl reluctant to remove himself from Beth becoming two people again, instead of the one person, one unit, they created in their love making.

* * *

Again, Beth found it hard to concentrate on her school work. Her head in the clouds like some love struck teenager. Barely able to pay attention during class, her ring catching her eye every few minutes. Her mind wandering off. Finding herself thinking about the wedding itself. Whether or not they should just go to city hall, or maybe they could have a little ceremony at the cabin. And she needed to find a dress…and Madalyn one too. In her mind, she already could see Madalyn in a fluffy white dress of tulle and satin. She also needed to call Maggie to tell her the good news.

During break, she sat at her normal bench in the quad, drumming her highlighter on the book she was supposed to be studying. So lost in thought, Beth didn't see Tara walk up on her. Plopping down, leaning over to see what she was reading.

"Whatcha' readin'?" She asked, but before Beth had a chance to answer, Tara let out a small squeal and then covered her mouth with her a hand. "Is that what I think it is?

Beth followed her gaze to the ring on her hand. "Oh umm..." Why was she hesitating? Yes, she was now engaged and there was no reason on God's green earth why she shouldn't tell everyone. "Yes, it is!"

"Ohhh Mmmmm Geeee," Tara dragged out. "Who are you engaged to? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone!" After her initial flip out, Tara wrapped her arm around Beth's shoulders, squeezing her tight from the side.

"You probably don't know him..."

"Try me."

"Daryl Dixon? He works at..."

"Grimes Auto!" Tara filled in for her.

"Yes, do you know him?"

Tara was nodding her head enthusiastically. "He worked on my car a few months ago. And I have to say, I didn't mind the view."

Beth for some reason she was unable to pinpoint, blushed.

"Well, hey I gotta' get back to class, but congrats!"

"Thanks," was all Beth had time to say before Tara was off and running again. That settled it though, she had to tell Maggie. And soon. Even though she lived in the next town over, news traveled fast and if she found out from someone else, she probably would never forgive Beth.

* * *

"Hey sis." Beth greeted Maggie when she answered the door to her house. Instead of telling her the news over the phone, Beth decided to drive on down to surprise her and tell her in person.

Maggie's mouth dropped open in shock. "Beth! What are you doin' here?" She asked, putting her arms around her and pulling her out of the Georgian heat into the cool house.

"I just missed you and my baby niece or nephew." Beth rubbed Maggie's belly, which was getting quite adorably round. "No fair! I don't remember being this cute pregnant."

"I'm sure you were." Maggie said, regret in her voice. She only saw her a few times during her pregnancy, and those times were strained.

Changing the subject quickly, Beth said "I checked with Glenn and knew you didn't have to work today, so instead of whatever you had planned today? Drop it! And spend it with me instead."

"I need no encouragement there. Spending the day with you sounds great." Maggie's brow furrowed. "Wait…where is Madalyn?"

"Oh, she is spending the day with Daryl." She said nonchalantly, hanging her bag on the back of a kitchen chair. Beth had slipped the ring off as she pulled up the drive. Tucking it safely into the pocket of her jeans.

"She's spending the day with who?" Maggie didn't pretend to hide her astonishment.

"Daryl." Beth repeated herself.

"No, I heard what you said. I jus' can't believe you left her with him." A look of astonishment came over Maggie's face.

Daryl had all but insisted she go to see Maggie today. She had planned to go anyway, bringing Madalyn with her but Daryl suggested she go by herself. Have a little time alone with her sister before the baby comes. Beth was touched at the idea. Leaving Madalyn all day with Daryl, though she knew Madalyn was in capable hands, was not easy. Daryl reasoned that he was going to be her daddy soon. And that they needed to become as comfortable alone together as they were when Beth was there. She knew he was right and when she left them they were snuggled up on the couch reading a hunting magazine together. The memory still warmed her.

"Stop." Beth laughed at her sister's teasing and maybe a tiny bit at herself. She was a tad overprotective. So what? She probably would've still been if she had had Madalyn in the most ideal situation. The circumstances under which she was born only intensified her Mama Bear instincts. "He's really great with her. They've formed this little relationship since we've moved into the cabin. It's really adorable actually."

Maggie eyeballed her sister. "Daryl and adorable are not two words I would use in the same sentence."

"Well they are," Beth retorted.

"Well then, that is great. You're just so overly protective of Madalyn. I wouldn't think you would leave her with him."

"I am a little nervous about it," she admitted. "I've already called him once and I've text him twice on the 30 minute drive down here."

Maggie bellowed out a laugh, "I'm sure they will be just fine." She put her arm around her sister's shoulders. Trying to get Beth's mind off her nerves, Maggie asked, "Want to see the baby's room?"

"You bet I do!"

Upstairs in the spare room closest to Maggie and Glenn's bedroom was the nursery. The room wasn't huge but a perfect size for a baby. Maggie opened the door and stepped aside for Beth to enter.

"Oh Maggie, it's perfect." The sturdy oak crib angled in the corner where pale yellow light shone through the gauzy window coverings. The walls were a creamy buttery color and the antique dresser with changing pad ran along the opposite wall. A striped white and cream upholstered rocker sat in the corner between the crib and dresser. A bookshelf already half full of books on child rearing to Dr. Suess was in the corner. Beth walked around the room, running her hands along the books on the shelf and spun the mobile on the crib around with her hand, sending small chirping sounds through the room. It wasn't overdone. It was perfect. Perfectly Maggie and Glenn, their touch in every single detail.

"You guys have been real busy," Beth remarked.

"Yeah, I've finally got some of my energy back. And Glenn's been working like crazy on it." Beth's heart warmed at the idea of Glenn assembling the crib and painting the walls.

Beth turned to Maggie who was now sitting back in the rocker, rubbing her belly. "I can't help but notice there's a whole lot of blue in this room." The striped fabric on the chair was adorned with a blue pillow. There was a pale blue sheet tucked around the mattress. The changing pad cover was even blue.

"Yes. There is." Maggie stated, raising her eyebrows.

"You mean?" Beth asked, pointing to Maggie's bump.

Maggie nodded, smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"No! Why didn't you tell me?" Beth happily yelled, pulling Maggie up and hugging her, jumping in place, squealing.

Maggie pulled back laughing. "Wow, I'm pretty sure we just became every girl that I hated in high school."

Beth agreed. "Who cares! My sister is having a boy!" They hugged, jumped and squealed again.

"I wanted to surprise you. I hope you ain't mad at me for not tellin' ya'."

"No, don't be silly. How could I be mad? Is Glenn excited?"

"He's so unbelievably over the moon excited. Not that we wouldn't be just as excited for a girl, of course. He's already having visions of fishing and baseball and father/son talks."

"I'm so happy for ya'll Maggie."

Maggie became inexplicably emotional, tears springing to her eyes. "Woah. What's all this about?" Beth wondered, apprehension threatening to ruin their moment.

"I just don't know how you did this all on your own. I feel absolutely horrible about not being there for you. Not being excited for you when you found out you were having a girl. Not being excited for you period. Jus' always thinking about the bad."

"Maggie..." Beth began but she cut her off with the wave of a hand.

"No, let me get this out. The hospital called me that night that Gareth beat you. I was listed as your person of emergency."

This was news to Beth, as far as she knew no one was called and she didn't call anyone herself. _Beth_ didn't want to call anyone.

"And I didn't come to the hospital because I was mad at you." She laughed humorlessly. Well, not really a laugh soo much as a sound of disbelief.

Knowing she wasn't really looking for an answer, Beth kept quite. Listening to Maggie with an open heart. She had forgiven her, but if this was what Maggie needed to forgive herself, then she would quietly oblige her.

Maggie, sitting back down, ran a hand through her loose hair. "Can you believe that? What kind of sister am I?"

Beth sat next to Maggie on the rocker the two squished together on the chair. Putting her arm around her, Beth leaned her cheek against Maggie's. "In all honesty, I probably woulda' pushed you away anyway. I was just as unhappy with you as you were with me."

"I'm just so sorry you didn't get ta' have any of this." Maggie gestured to the room. "No excitment, at least none that you were able to share with anyone. No getting ready for the baby. No nursery. No husband or boyfriend to help you... no family." Maggie hiccuped on a sob.

"That's enough." Beth said, her own voice wattery with emotion that she manged to keep inside. "It was a bad time for sure. I won't deny that. But life goes on. We are fine now. And hopefully, I will have all that one day."

Maggie nodded, scrubbing her face with her palm. "I hope you do."

Sitting a moment longer together, Beth waited for Maggie's tears to subside and when they did she said, "Come on, lets go downstairs." She had her own news to share with Maggie. News that would hopefully brighten Maggie's mood.

Back downstairs they sat at the kitchen table a pitcher of sweet tea between them. Maggie had calmed considerably and poruing her own tea, Beth announced, "You know. I have some news too."

"Oh yeah, what?"

Beth took a deep breath, reaching under the table and into the pocked of her jeans, repalcing the ring onto her finger. "Me and Daryl...we're," Beth flashed her hand at Maggie. "We're engaged."

Maggie sputtered and coughed, spitting tea out like a geyser from her mouth. Effectively spraying tea all over the table.

Beth jumped up, dodging the liquid, they both grabbed kitchen and paper towels to wipe up Maggie's mess, laughing so hard tears ran down their faces. By the time it was cleaned up Beth was out of breath and her sides ached from laughing.

"Geeze Maggie, ya' acted like I said I was growing a second head or somethin'."

"I don't know…" Maggie sat at the table once again. "I thought maybe you were pregnant too." Maggie wiped at the condensation that had formed on her glass. Part of her wanted Beth to pregnant. They could share that precious time together but then Beth could also get a do over.

"No. I'm not pregnant." Beth said, patting her sister's' arm, knowing what was running through her mind.

"But…" Beth pulled the sleeve back of her shirt, giving her clearer view of the ring.

Maggie brought her hand to her mouth, fresh tears sprang to her eyes. Registering the information, "Daryl? And you?"

Grinning Beth nodded.

"You and Daryl?" Maggie asked again in disbelief. She took Beth's hand in her's, inspecting the ring. "I should kick your ass. You've been here a whole hour and you didn't tell me!"

"Sorry. It's still all new. I'm still getting use to it myself."

"Tell me everything!"

* * *

**Again, thank you all for reading. And thank you all for commenting. I am sure there will be mistakes as it is almost midnight and I have now been up for eighteen-ish hours. LOL**


	16. Chapter 16 - Inevitable

**I know this chapter isn't all Bethyl fluff, but you all knew what was coming, I'm sure. Thank you for reading/commenting.**

* * *

 

Daryl and Madalyn were getting along just fine while Beth was gone. They read. Ate lunch of hot dogs on the grill, though he knew Beth probably would wrinkle her nose at the idea of giving Madalyn processed foods. They played with blocks. More like Daryl would build stack as tall as he could and Madalyn would knock it down, laughing hysterically. It surprised Daryl just how much he enjoyed spending time with Madalyn. She was a sweet kid with a mischievous side that made him love her all the more. And strangely, he missed Beth terribly. Not because he wasn't okay being alone with Madalyn. It was because he wanted to be with her all of the time. 

Last night was amazing. The most amazing night of his life if he had to put it into words. After they made love, he held her close. So tight. Never wanting to let her go. No rushing things, no having to get back to work and definitely no running off. She stayed happily in his arms until just before daybreak when she finally left him to be there in her bed with Madalyn woke up. Of course, hopefully, by the time they were married, Madalyn would be used to being alone in her room in the cabin, because Daryl didn't intend to sleep in a separate room from his wife.

Rick had also stopped out to Daryl's with the pretense of returning a tool. He had talked to Daryl earlier in the day and he informed Rick that he had Madalyn for the day. Alone. He just had to stop out and see this for himself.

They sat at the back porch, a cold coke in hand as they watched Madalyn play in a small bowl of rainwater she found on the porch.

"I honestly never thought I'd see you set up like this." Rick commented.

"What's that mean?" Daryl asked, taking a long swig.

"Oh you know, woman, kid, family." He gestured with the uptick of his chin to Madalyn. "Not that I didn't think you'd be good at it. And you sure as hell deserve to be happy, especially after Andrea. I just never thought you'd give it another chance."

Daryl, unsure what to say, shrugged his shoulders. "Beth and Madalyn. They make it easy."

They lapsed into a companionable silence. Madalyn grew bored of the water and climbed up onto his lap. He gave her a sip of the cola, grinning, knowing her mother wouldn't approve. "Our little secret Maddie May." His affection for this little girl growing by the second.

Out of the blue, needing to tell someone, he said, "I asked Beth to marry me."

Rick's can of Coke froze halfway to his mouth. "You what?"

"Asked her to marry me."

"Little quick ain't it?" Rick questioned, his tone of voice nonjudgmental.

Daryl rolled his shoulders, "When you know its right, its right."

"I suppose so." A smile parted Rick's bearded face. "And she said?" He asked, teasing.

"She said yes, ass…" Remembered the little ears that were near, he refrained from swearing.

"Son of a…"

"Yep."

"Well congrats man." Rick lifted his Coke in the air in cheers and Daryl rolled his eyes, laughing. 

It felt good to tell someone, Daryl decided. Made it more real.

Later that night, after a less than nutritional meal and a small bowl of ice cream, it was Madalyn's bedtime. Daryl changed her into her pajamas and rocked her to sleep just like Beth did. And he saw why Beth enjoyed doing this every night. Watching Madalyn look up at him with those sleepy soulful brown eyes, feeling like they were boring into his soul. Feeling her little body snuggled into him, reaching up her hand to twirl the edges of his hair with her fingers. Her eyes becoming heavy until they closed and her hand fell slowly back down. Her breathing becoming even.

Slowly and quietly he carried her into her room, tucking her blanket around her body. A pink stuffed bunny he hadn't noticed before sat in the corner of her crib. Shrugging his shoulders, he tucked it into the blanket with Madalyn before, assuring the nightlight was on and working properly, he backed out of the bedroom, leaving the door slightly open.

* * *

Beth felt lighter after spending the day with Maggie. Clearing the air, so to speak. Yes, Beth could, probably should, be angry with Maggie. But what's the point of that? They've both moved on. Maggie was expecting a child. Beth was to be married to a wonderful man. Life went on, this much Beth knew. Grudges got you nowhere except an angry heart and she was beyond that. She just wanted to be happy. And everyone in her life to be happy. Was that too much to want? Probably. She would strive for it just the same.

Reaching for her buzzing phone that lay in the cup holder next to her, without taking her eyes off the darkened road, she slid her thumb across the screen knowing who would be on the other end.

"Hey babe." Daryl's voice did strange things to her body. Things she had no control over.  Her skin peaked in goosebumps, her belly clenched in anticipation at the sheer idea of the next time they could be together. 

"How'd it go with Maggie," he asked. She had expressed her worries to him on how Maggie may or may not take the news that they were engaged.

"It went great," Beth told him cheerfully. Maybe, just maybe things were starting to look up.

"See. Told ya'." And he had told her that Maggie would take the news of their engagement fine. He had also said if Maggie didn't like it, that she would eventually come around to the idea because she had no other choice. They were getting married no matter who or what tried to stand in the way.

"Yeah, yeah," she teased him. "How was Madalyn today?"

"She was an angel. I don't think she missed you a bit." He rumbled a small chuckle.

Which was good and bad for Beth. She didn't want her daughter to be under any distress missing her Mama might cause, but still not to be missed wasn't a great feeling either.

"Oh?"

"But, I missed ya'," Daryl said in a low tone.

"Really now?" She asked, her voice perking up again. Beth steered with one hand, holding the phone with the other. Her headlights cutting through the slightly foggy night. Slowing her car as there was another vehicle parked alongside the vacant road. She wasn't traveling on a main road, still it wasn't uncommon to come across local traffic or the occasional tractor or other farm equipment. "You missed me, huh?"

"Uh huh. 'Bout how far are you from home?"

Home? When did his home become her home she wondered as she came up to the car on the side of the road, a woman standing at the door, waving her hand in the air.

"Uh, like fifteen minutes. Hey, there is a car broke down. Looks like a woman, she's wavin' me down."

On alert now, Daryl sat up on the couch. "Beth, I'm not sure you should stop."

Slowing to crawl, through the passenger window she recognized the stranded woman as Tara. "Oh, I know her from school. I'm gonna' stop. See if she needs help."

"Beth..."

"I'll call ya' back in a few," she told him before pressing the red end call button as she pulled over in front of Tara's vehicle.

Setting the phone back into the cup holder, she reached under her seat and took out a flashlight she kept there for emergencies. Walking along the edge of the pavement, clicking the on button of the flashlight, she called out to Tara, "Car trouble?"

Tara squinted at Beth who was backlit by the flashlight. She asked, "Beth? That you?"

"Yep," she said, approaching her.

"Oh, it's my lucky night! My car just quit. And of course my phone is dead!" Tara spoke exasperated.

"Did it run outta' gas?" Beth asked, only half kidding. Tara was sweet, but she was a little flighty.

"I d...d...don't know." Tara stuttered.

Taking a closer look, Tara looked frazzled. Which was understandable, Beth guessed. Having your car die on you at night on a rural road, and then you phone being dead. It was a stressful situation, no doubt. Yet, her eyes were darting from Beth to the dark forested area across the road. Her face had a sheen of sweat even though it was a relatively cool night with a light breeze. Her hand shook as she placed it on the open door.

"Tara? Are you feelin' alright?" Beth questioned.

. . .

Daryl tried calling Beth back. After ringing four and a half times it went to voicemail. He disconnected the call and tried once more with the same results. He didn't like this. His gut was telling him something was wrong. Sure someone could've been broken down on the side of the road. That kind of thing happened occasionally. More times than not, he knew who it was when he came upon a car broken down. And more times than not, he stopped to help out whether he knew the person or not.

But something felt...off.

What could he do about it? Wake Madalyn up and go looking for Beth. Plus there were three or four ways she could've come home. Call the sheriff and say he had a feeling something _might_ be wrong? Merle...he could call Merle. But the chances of him being drunk on a Saturday night were pretty good.

Trying unsuccessfully to reach her again, he stood and began to pace the living room. Watching for any sign of Beth pulling down the long drive. Telling himself he would give her ten minutes. If she didn't call back by then, he'd place a phone call.

He didn't want to overreact...but...

That idea lasted all of three minutes before he was picking up his cell again and dialing Rick's number.

Screw not overreacting.

. . .

And before Tara answered, Beth froze. Feet rooted to the ground, knees locked in place as the deafening click of the hammer on a gun being cocked into place sounded. A slight sound, yet it echoed through the trees of the quiet night. The flashlight she carried fell out of her numb hand, crashing to the ground at her feet, the beam going out.

Closing her eyes tight, she waited for what was to come. Too afraid to do anything else but stand there. When she opened her eyes again, waiting a beat for them to adjust to the moonlit night, she turned slowly to face her fear in that face.

"Well, well, well." Gareth. His voice light in contrast to the gravity of the situation. "Who do we have here?"

And this was it. The moment she had been dreading yet expecting at the same time for months. Her focus was to keep calm. To keep her head straight.

"Tara, do what he says..." Beth began to instruct Tara, her voice dying mid sentence as Tara rounded Beth and joined Gareth, standing slightly behind him.

"Tara?" She questioned, her eyes darting between the two.

"What?" Tara snipped. She was suddenly a total different person. She looked the same, but not. Her face took on a meaner facade. Gone was the girl with the friendly, peppy demeanor. Her spine was rigid and she stood straighter. Her eyes narrowed in on Beth as if she were focusing in on her prey. "Shocked?"

"To say the least," she said with a calm she did not feel. But, she'd be damned if she would show them her fear.

"Well don't be. Think about it. Why would I become friends with someone that's my age but acts like an old prude in her eighties."

She spoke with such disgust and disdain, Beth actually flinched. Tara had been so nice to her. So sweet and understanding. Now, though, it all came clear. She befriended her for Gareth. It made sense, Beth supposed rationally considering the situation. That way Gareth could keep easier tabs on her. On Madalyn.

"Why are doin' this Tara? Don't let him ruin your life like this." She pleaded with Tara. Useless, she knew, but had to try anyway.

"Oh ain't you sweet? Worrying about me," Tara said sarcastically, then reached out, yanking Beth's hair she turned her around, and with surprising strength threw her head against the car door. Her vision wavered as pain shot through her brain.

. . .

"Whatdaya' mean she didn't come home?" Rick asked Daryl.

"Well. She could be on her way home. I just..." He hesitated, not wanting to sound like a whipped pool boy, "got a feeling."

To his credit, Rick didn't miss a beat. "Well, I can come out, help ya' look for her," he offered.

"That's what I was hopin' you'd say. Bring Lori, I got Madalyn here."

"Yeah, sure no problem."

Hanging up with Rick, he dialed Merle who surprisingly didn't sound drunk. Though he didn't like it, he needed Merle's help. Needed his unemotional balance.

. . .

Beth's world spun and she fell to the ground when her legs turned to jelly and gave out beneath her. Through her slitted eyelids she saw Gareth kneeling down in front of her.

"Oh no," his voice lackluster, "you scraped up that pretty face of yours."

In the back of Beth's mind, it registered that her whole head hurt, her face included. But that was the least of her worries. First and foremost her attention went to how she would get out of this situation and back to Madalyn and Daryl in one piece.

"Up ya' go." He said, gathering her hair in his fist. She was determined not to allow them to see her fear, to hear her distress, but let out a small yelp of pain.

Behind her back, Tara wound duct tape around her wrists, and then, his fist still tangled in her hair, Gareth forced her into the backseat of Tara's car. Tara got behind the wheel and the car sprang to life when she turned the key in the ignition.

This had been planned? They were watching, waiting for her to be alone at the exact right time. Immensely relieved that Madalyn hadn't gone with her to Maggie's, Madalyn's life flashed in Beth's mind. She thought back in a split second montage, seeing the pregnancy stick turn blue. Even back then at 19 years old, being more frightened than she ever had been up to that point, she knew she would love her child more than anything or anyone in this world. She knew she would do anything for the tiny baby that had rested deep in her belly. Then as her stomach grew, so did her love for the baby. And when Gareth beat her bloody and she stood in front of the broken shattered mirror, thinking her baby was dead, Madalyn kicked her for the first time and she knew she had to protect her baby because no one else would.

The perfect life she had imagined for herself when she was a small child had faded to dust in a short amount of time and was replaced quickly by providing a safe environment for her daughter to grow up in. And when the theoretical white picket fence and white washed walls were tantalizingly close, they were being ripped from her. All she found she could do was pray. Pray that she got to see her daughter's beautiful face again, that she would one day feel Daryl's strong arms around her.

She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Why did she think she was so special. Why did she think she could live a normal quiet life. Sure it wouldn't be easy, because life never was, but it would be a good life. A full life. Her, Madalyn and Daryl. One happy family. She almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation she found herself in.

. . .

Rick and Lori pulled down the drive, with Merle not two seconds behind them. He quickly filled them in on how Beth, coming home from Maggie's, pulled off the road to help a friend and had no since answered his calls and had yet to come home.

Rick, always reasonable, spoke up first. "I know you probably don't want to hear this but maybe it's time to call the police."

Merle, who stood at the door away from the group. Always the eternal outsider, just as Daryl felt of himself up until he met Beth, yelled, "Hell no! We can handle this ourselves. We take care of our own."

"I already called them." Ignoring the incredulous look Merle gave him. The police knew the Dixon boys' well, particularly Merle, and they didn't like him very much. The feeling was mutual.

"They gave me the run around. Saying how no adult is missing until 24 hours has passed."

"We don't need no cops anyhow." Merle's way of comforting Daryl.

"Then how do you propose we find her?" Rick asked.

"She," Merle said pointing to Lori who had stood at the kitchen counter quietly wringing her hands together, "stays to watch the baby. We are goin' trackin'." A sparkle of mischief in his eye. Even though Daryl was terrified, and not afraid to admit it, this was Merle's idea of a good time.

And that's exactly happened. Lori stayed behind with brief instructions to lock the door, keep her phone on her and wait until she heard from one of them. Rick, Daryl and Merle piled into Daryl's truck, Daryl carrying his Ruger Rimfire Bolt-Action.

As they climbed in the truck Merle asked, "What the hell? This ain't no tea party we're goin' to." Daryl hardly spared him a glance as he turned the key, gunning the engine to life. He lifted his right pant leg to show his recently purchased Beretta 96A1 tucked into an ankle holster in his work boot.

"Well ain't that sweet. This the first time it's been away from its mother?" Merle monotoned. The Beretta is actually one of the more powerful handguns out there, Daryl guessed Merle wasn't impressed by its size. As they turned onto the gravel road Daryl reached behind the cab seat and pulled out his Remington Model 700 SPS Tactical Bolt-Action Rifle, handing it off to Merle.

Merle nodded his apparent approval. "Now that's got some fuckin' muscle. Good to know you ain't gone completely soft."

Daryl steered with one hand as he spoke, "That little fucker Gareth, best not harm a hair on her head! I thought you was gonna' have your friend keep an eye on her." Daryl spoke of Shane, Merles "bounty hunter" friend. "He don't seem so reliable now."

Merle shrugged. "He's as reliable as any common criminal, I 'pose."

"He's suppose to be keepin' watch over Gareth's movements...suppose to let me know when he gets too close to the house or Beth."

Instead of responding to what he'd said about Shane, Merle said, "Damn, you're really hung up on this girl, aintcha?"

"I love her. I'm going to marry her. If anything happens to her…" Daryl focused on driving; he couldn't allow his mind to think that way.

"Well no shit. Marriage?" Merle seemed oblivious to the weight of the situation. Like this was just another Saturday night. Business as usual.

"Yes, marriage. After we find Beth and I get done beating the living hell outta Gareth."

"Maybe we should think twice about this," Rick suggested. Thinking, _knowing,_  they were getting in over their heads.

But, Merle slapped Daryl on the shoulder, pride beaming from his face. "Now there's the man I raised you to be."

Daryl resented Merle and his words. He wasn't proud of the task he had set to carry out. This was not how normal people were supposed to live! This is not the world he wanted to raise Madalyn in; where you had to fight for everything you had. He wanted nothing more than to give her an ordinary life, one unlike his own childhood, one where you didn't have to fight tooth and nail just to survive.

. . .

Gareth or Tara didn't say a word as he marched her across the backwoods of a piece of heavily wooded property. A dull flashlight and the full moon leading the way. They had parked in a field, hidden from the main road and began walking. The weeds and brush scraping at her pant legs, her feet dirty and sore in her flip-flops. They finally came out into a clearing where a shack, nothing more than a small standing structure put together with found items, sat in the middle of the tiny yard mostly hidden by trees. Upon setting eyes on the shack, Beth momentarily froze with fear, her legs refusing to move. Tara didn't like that and shoved her hard from behind and she began walking again.

Beth took a solace in knowing that whatever was going to happen in that tiny shack, Madalyn was at least safe back at home at the cabin. She knew, no matter what happened to her, Daryl and Glenn and Maggie would take care of Madalyn.

Gareth walked a few paces ahead of Beth, Tara following Beth, he opened the door. Stale air shoved back at them and even Tara was taken aback by the smell.

"What the hell is that? It stinks!"

"Don't be such a baby, you get used to it after a minute." In the center of the single room he pulled on a pull chain and light flooded the room. A cot took up one wall, a small wood stove, a folding chair and TV tray along the other wall. A glorified hunting cabin, which explained the metallic smell of blood roommating through the air.

Gareth took Beth by her bent elbow and shoved her down onto the cot, then taking the duct tape from a backpack Tara carried, he wrapped her ankles with it.

After that, Tara stood at the only window in the place, fanning her face trying to keep the stench from her nostrils. Gareth kicked back in the folding chair, eyeing Beth. He finally spoke, "You're awfully quiet."

Not in the mood for small talk, she ignored him. The chair was in such close proximity to her that he kicked the cot. Hating herself when she jumped. She kept her head down, silent.

"You used to talk so damn much I wanted to cram a sock in your mouth just to shut ya' up." He stood up from the folding chair, standing in front of her.

"Ya' deaf now? He grabbed her chin forcing her to look up to him. She closed her eyes. Even though she was partly expecting it, his fist crushing her left cheekbone made her yell out in pain, and sent her flying off the cot.

. . .

They found Beth's car about ten minutes from the cabin parked along the side of the road. Her bag and phone still inside. Her flashlight was on the ground a few feet behind her car next to burnout marks in dirt of the side of the road.

They spent little time there before moving onto their next stop. Gareth's place.

Daryl cut the lights as he pulled off along the edge of the road about six hundred feet from Gareth's trailer. He and Merle stealthily exited the truck, rifles drawn. Rick stayed in the truck, watching for anything or anyone approaching. They came out of the clearing that butted up to the house and Daryl, thankful for the bright full moon, motioned to Merle to go around to the back of the house.

Not making a sound, they climbed the rickety old wood steps and Daryl kicked open the door, effectively knocking it open and splitting it in half. The same lamp that was on the other night shown on the contents of the trailer. Take out containers, pizza boxes, to-go cups, empty McDonald's bags littered every surface. A stench came from the overflowing trash can that sat near the kitchen counter.

No one in the living room, they went to their right, down the short hallway to the back bedrooms. Merle cleared the first as Daryl made his way to the main bedroom at the end of the hall. He placed his ear to the closed door, no sound. He slowly turned the knob, it screeching slightly as he pushed it open all the way. No one stood in front or the left of him. He quickly moved to the area behind the door. Again, no one. He had expected to open the door to a gun pointing at him but...nothing. He checked the bathroom. No one was there either.

Merle walked into the back bedroom, gun pointing up in the air, the butt of the gun resting on his bicep. "The bedroom is empty."

"This one too." The realization of the fact that the trailer was empty dawned on Daryl that they'd been duped.

Back outside, he rhetorically asked, "Where the fuck is he?" If Daryl was being honest with himself, he knew that Gareth wouldn't of taken Beth here. That would be too easy. Still it was all they had to go on. 

They rounded the trailer to get back to the truck when Merle stopped short. Daryl almost ramming into the back of him. What looked to be a mound of dirt lay in front of them.

"Shit, I found Shane." Merle intoned dryly.


	17. Chapter 17 - Losing Time

Merle kneeled, rolled Shane over onto his back. His face beat to a bloody pulp.

"What the hell happened to him?" Daryl asked. Shane's face was a mess. You could almost see a bat shaped dent in his skull.

"Looks like he ran into a baseball bat. Over and over again." Merle replied, unaffected.

Daryl always marveled at Merle's ability to compartmentalize. When he was a kid he always wished he was as tough as Merle. When they hunted, taking down a kill, and even though it would feed his family, he still felt bad for taking the life of an animal. Or when something more serious happened, like when their mother died, Daryl just as soon died with her. Not Merle, though. Life goes on, you do what you had to do, he always said.

Now, that was more apparent than ever before. He had to do what he had to do. And that meant ignoring that the man lying at his feet was beaten within inches of his life. He had to get as much information as he could from him before it was too late.

Daryl kneeled next to him, putting his face close to Shanes. "What was that? Is he still breathin'?" Daryl asked, laying his palm on his chest, leaning in close to listen.

Catching them off guard, Shane suddenly yelled, "No!" Pulling at Daryl, he somehow managed to wrestle up and onto his knees, putting Daryl in a weak headlock.

"Sonofa... What the hell?"

Daryl lightly pushed at him and Shane, quickly losing steam and strength, fell to the ground onto his back once again, his breathing labored and shallow.

Wasting no time, Daryl asked, "Where is Beth? Do you know where Gareth took her?"

Dazed, Shane looked between Daryl and Merle. Narrowing in on Merle, he questioned, "Merle?"

"Yeah," Daryl answered for Merle. "Do you know where Gareth took Beth?"

"I could tell he was up to something. Him and some girl were loading supplies into a car. Looked like they weren't comin' back here." Shane's breath was labored, his words stopping and starting again. It was difficult to make sense of what he was saying.

"He had something pink, some sort of stuffed animal with him. I was on my phone, trying to text you. Tell you what was up. He came outta' nowhere, hit me over the head with a bat. I passed out."

"Do you have any idea where he might've took Beth?" Daryl asked a third time, losing time and patients as the time ticked by. 

"Take Beth?" Shane's eyes glazed momentarily, then coming back into focus looking at Daryl. "He took her?" Shane sat up, wobbled a little before he began speaking more coherently. Urgently. "He has a shack he sometimes goes to. It's out past town, near the washout on M-33…"

Daryl knew vaguely where he spoke of. A few years ago during a torrential downpour there was a wash out on one of the back roads to town. The town never fixed it and just averted traffic down a more efficient road. It was a pretty sparse and abandoned area now.

"That'd be my best guess on where he went."

"Worth a shot," Merle shrugged.

Pressed for time, but knowing they couldn't just leave Shane, Daryl suggested, "We can drop him off to the after hours clinic on our way through town. Then we goin' go get Beth back."

Merle nodded and he and Daryl bent, hefting Shane up, an arm each under Shane's and together lifted him to his feet. Taking him back to the truck, practically carrying him the whole way.

At the truck, Rick stood by the open driver's seat, and even though he had quit years ago, he was smoking one of Daryl's cigarettes. Flinging it to the ground when he saw the guys approaching with a half dead looking man between them, he asked, "Who the fuck is this?"

"This is Shane. We'll be taking him to the clinic." Merle said in his dry humored way.

"Well, no shit." Rick figured Shane needed medical care. Or a hearse. Either one.

Together they lifted him up into the back of the truck. Shane leaned on the back of the cab, his head lolling to the side, exhausted from the effort it took to get him to that point. Though it set them back on time, they dumped him off to the after hours clinic. The town didn't have a hospital, just a clinic that was - thankfully for Shane - still open. And then they took off west, out of town.

Merle directed Daryl to turn down an old two track. Going through the washout, they bumped along, making slow progress, testing Daryl's patients to the limit.

After what seemed like hours, Merle instructed Daryl. "K, pull over 'n park here."

Pulling off the road, he killed the engine and lights, looking around at essentially nothing. No houses, no fields, no barns. Just trees and thick brush.

"How do you know where this place is?" Rick asked, because as far as he could see there was no houses in the area.

"I don't for sure. Jus' a hunch. There's this little shack down a ways that I use to go to score. Some little tweaker lived there, spent his days cookin' meth. Then after he left town, I used it as a hunting cabin or a place to crash."

"I thought you was off that shit?" Daryl asked, knowing he didn't have time to deal with _that_ problem right at the moment.

"I am. I said it was a while ago…but anyway. It's the only place out here for miles. It has to be where he's at."

Quietly, methodically, he and Merle made their way along the two track, hidden in the woods. Leaving Rick in the truck as a look out again. The thick tree tops cut out most of the light the moon provided, but Merle and Daryl held a sixth sense, an intuition, when it came to these woods.

They grew up here; hunted, fished, played in these woods. They both had an inner compass, they knew how to tell which direction they were headed by the position of the moon or sun. Could tell what kind of winter they'd have judging by the amount of acorns that fell from the trees in the fall. Knew how to track any animal they happened to take down. They could kill, skin, gut and process a deer before they were ten. But never had the stakes been so high. Never did they have to track a person. And the implications of not finding that person were unthinkable. Daryl pushed that thought out of his mind. They _had_ to find Beth. There was no other choice. He wouldn't back down on the woman he loved.

Daryl and Merle stopped simultaneously, "You hear that?" Merle asked.

. . .

"There, that got something out of you, now didn't it?" Gareth yelled into Beth's face. Bending down to where she lay on the floor, he grabbed her up by her shirt, throwing her back down onto the ground followed by a kick to the side. Still, she refused to look at him.

She retreated into herself. Trying to focus. To remain alert, but the darkness of unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. Looking around for something. Anything to help fight him off, her eyes landed on an object that lay on the floor just under the cot, something shiny reflecting the light.

Before she could muster up the strength to act, exhaustion overtook her. Exhaustion from trying to be someone she felt she wasn't, exhausted from trying to be stronger than she felt she was. She closed her eyes. Somewhere deep down she felt Gareth's shoe kicking her in the ribs. An onslaught of words being yelled at her.

"You think you can just leave me? Sign a paper and be rid of me? Marry the mechanic? Well not so fast, you whore." His shoe went directly into her kidney, pain radiating around her sides to her front.

"Did you really think that restraining order was going to do shit? I been watchin' you this whole time. I saw you go to school, I saw you working all those jobs any idiot could do. I saw you with that redneck hick. You just couldn't wait to wrap your long legs around him, could ya'? You think he'll be Madalyn's new daddy? Grow up. He just wants a piece of your sweet ass! You're worthless, ya know that?"

Beth remembered back to when Gareth beat her before. She remembered screaming back at him, trying to fight him off. The loneliness she felt that night came back to her, the fear seeping into her bones. Screaming at him did nothing, not responding to him also apparently did nothing. Defeat came over her like a dark cloak and she almost welcomed it. She was tired of fighting for the slightest bit of happiness.

Growing up her mother had said the same thing as Gareth; that she was worthless. Her father avoided her mother and by default avoided her and Maggie as well. Then her first boyfriend turned out to be a psychotic asshole. Out of that darkness she had Madalyn and she was happy yet sad at the same time. Sad Madalyn had to grow up with nothing, and no father, essentially as Beth had. Meeting Daryl she naively thought maybe, just maybe, it was her turn for happiness. She was apparently so wrong.

"Hey, Gareth. That's enough. She's down. She's probably not gettin' back up." Beth heard Tara trying to intercept Gareth. He turned on her as well.

"Who the fuck asked you? You think you're important to me? Ha! Why are woman so stupid?" He snorted a wicked laugh. "You were jus' a convenient way to keep an eye on Beth"

Tara backed away, her hands in the air as if in surrender. "I thought you loved me. You said if Beth was out of the picture, we could move on with our lives. Together."

"Yeah right. Dumb bitch."

And for a brief second, Beth actually felt bad for Tara. She knew first hand what a smooth talker Gareth could be. How he can make you feel like the most special person on the planet. Tara, like Beth when she was a nineteen year old kid, probably just wanted to be loved. Wanted to feel special. And Gareth made her feel that way. For his own benifit of course, but Tara apparently hadn't realized that until this very moment. Until it was too late.

Beth slowly opened her eyes, fighting the urge to just lay there and let whatever happen happen. She knew she couldn't protect her heart by pretending she didn't have one. Life is messy, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. She also became aware, that this would not save Madalyn from a life of hurt, because losing her mother in this way would damage her irreparably. This was not a way to live. This was a way to die.

_Fight or Flight._ Daryl's words reverberated in her mind.

Beth had to fight.

Laying on her stomach, as Gareth kicked her over and over again she slowly reached out her duct taped hands, grasped the sparkly object in her fist. Beth couldn't believe her luck, it was an awl. A pointed tool used for piercing holes in wood, leather or steel. She aimed the rusted point outward and with a surge of adrenaline she swung her body around onto her back and upward. The tip of the awl jabbed Gareth in the thigh.

He stammered back screaming, "You bitch!"

Tara froze, shocked, then began backing up toward the door.

As Beth scrambled to her feet he came after her again. Wild eyed. The look was real and slightly insane. Instead of backing down she charged him, falling onto the cot, ramming the awl into his cheek. He kicked her off of him, ramming her into the wall, knocking the wind from her lungs. The awl stuck out of his face and he howled like the wounded dog he was.

Beth fought for consciousness again, her lungs burning for air. Her vision darkened and she slid down the wall, landing hard on her bottom. Daryl's voice sounded again in her mind. Back to a few days ago when he had come home from work with a medium sized box in his hand.

_"Gotcha somethin'", he had said._

_Wiping_ _her hands on a dish towel as she had been chopping onions for dinner, she asked, "Oh yeah?"_

_"Yep. You're gonna' love it." Judging by the teasing tone in his voice, she didn't think she would love it as much as he proclaimed. The look on his face was that of a young boy holding out a dead frog to the little girl on the playground that he liked but tortured and teased mercilessly._

_"What is it?" She hesitated as he held the box out to her._

_"Gotta open it up and see." He told her as he picked Madalyn up onto his hip, giving her a kiss on the cheek as a hello._

_So, taking the box from him, she set it on the countertop. Using the knife she had been cutting the onions with she cut the tape that sealed the box. Opening it up and removing the packing paper, another box lay inside. She pulled it out, totally confused as to what the picture on the box was._

_"What is it?" She asked holding it up, the words on the box read_ Pro-Tech Gun Ankle Holster. _"An ankle holster?"_

_"Yep. Just for you darlin'." He chuckled. Putting Madalyn down, he took the box from Beth. Then he bent and lifted his pant leg, showing her his own holstering holding a brand new Beretta. "Surprise," he said._

_Beth laughed, not wanting to appear ungrateful, she said "Well uh, thanks." And placed a noisy kiss to his lips._

_He kissed her back but then became serious. "Listen, I don't want you out there without your gun on you. Not just shoved into that huge bag you call a purse. It would take you too long to get to the gun if ya' needed it. This way, you're gun can be on you. At all times. And you're gonna wear it at all times."_

_Beth never thought she could become emotional over such a gift. But it was more than just a gun holster. It was Daryl's way of keeping her safe. He cared that much about her. Best she could figure, it was the best gift she had ever received._

Beth came to what must of been only seconds later because Tara was still by the door, her eyes huge with shock. Gareth was still holding his face sitting on the cott, the awl laying on the ground at his feet. Taking advantage of the moment, using her teeth she bit at the end of the duct tape that circled her wrists and she was able to easily pull the duct tape away from her skin. Burning pain radiated up her arms as the duct tape tore her skin and baby fine hair. By then Tara and recovered her shock and was barreling toward Beth. Reaching down, pulling up her pant leg she grasped her 9mm from the leg holster Daryl had bought her. Quickly she stood and pointed the gun at Tara and then at Gareth. Pulling the trigger, she shot Tara, the closer of the two, in her shoulder. She shrieked and fell to the ground. 

. . .

Daryl and Merle stopped simultaneously, "You hear that?" Merle asked.

"Uh huh." Daryl answered, and took off in a sprint from the direction that the yell came. Finally the shack came into view. Anyone could've passed it by, so hid by trees it was.

"Daryl. Stop!" Merle earnestly whispered. "Dontcha' wanna' check it out first? Before we go bargin' in." Merle was surprised by his own words, but he'd rather have a good hold on the situation before they went in.

Daryl could hear shuffling coming from the inside then another, more painful scream. Beth's scream.

"Wanna' bet? Come on."

"Right behind ya' brother," Merle assured.

Daryl ran to the shack, kicking in the door. As Gareth turned toward the sound of the crashing door, Daryl used the opportunity of surprise to his advantage and, using the butt of the gun, he smashed it into Gareth's face. Merle ran to Beth, helped her up from where she sat on the floor near the wall. He noticed a woman laying on the floor, holding her bloodied shoulder. She looked looked less than dangerous. A deer caught in the headlights.

Gareth was dazed momentarily. Regaining himself, he rushed Daryl who dropped his Ruger to the floor and ran full force at Gareth. Using a gun on him would be too easy. Daryl wanted to handle this himself. Fist to face. They met in the middle of the shack like two bull's, crashing into each other. Gareth fell backwards, and Daryl pulled back his fist and flinging it forward like a slingshot, punching Gareth square in the jaw. Hearing the satisfying crunch of bone, he brought his fist back again and again. Beth watched it all unfold in slow motion.

Daryl's voice taking a feral tone as he screamed, "You will never fucking touch her again. Ya' hear me?"

Gareth crumbled to the floor as Daryl's hand went limp. It wasn't even close to being a fair fight. Daryl had a good five inches on Gareth and outweighed him in muscled brawn by seventy five pounds. Daryl didn't care though. He wasn't finished with him yet. He began kicking him, just as Gareth did with Beth. He wanted Gareth to know exactly what Beth felt. The pain, the fear. The steal toe of his work boot cracking his ribs. Again and again until Gareth lay motionless.

Merle, having helped Beth to her feet, left Daryl to take care of Gareth. He wouldn't dream of impeeding on his brothers glory.

"Daryl." Beth spoke quietly, leaning on Merle. Her swollen face hurt when she spoke. Then a little louder, "Daryl. You're gonna' kill 'em."

"That's the point" Merle told her.

Distress lined Beth's battered face. "No. He can't!"

Merle's arm held tight around her waist, but she leaned toward Daryl. Touching him on his shoulder. "Daryl," she spoke quietly. Calmly.

He turned toward her. His eyes looked through her at first, blinded by rage. Breathing heavily, hand throbbing. Then his piercing blue eyes focused on Beth. On her beaten and bloody face, unable to stand on her own. Her words finally penetrated his unseeing hatred.

"Daryl. You can't kill him. He's not worth spendin' the rest of your life in jail."

"If it protects you and Madalyn from him for the rest of your lives, it'll be worth it." His voice low and raspy. He dropped his head knowing Beth's reasoning was right too. If he went to jail he couldn't be there for Beth. Couldn't raise Madalyn as his own. He wouldn't be able to marry Beth, give her his name.

Beth inched toward him, letting go of Merle and limping into Daryl's open arms. Beth buried her face in his chest. Her ears tuning into the hard beating of his heart. In a matter of seconds she felt the loneliness and fear fall softly asleep in Daryl's safe arms.

Together they turned their back on Gareth and made their way to the door. Merle took one last look at Gareth, hocking back and spitting on the ground in front of him. He turned on his boot heel and followed his brother. Just at the door, though, hearing movement behind him, Merle turned back. Gareth held Beth's gun in his outstretched hands. Who knows how he'd managed to crawl over to the corner where it lay discarded on the floor. It didn't really matter now as his finger pressed the trigger and he fired.


	18. Chapter 18 - A Better Day

**Warning: Complete Bethyl Fluff Ahead**

**But first we have to get through the messy stuff.**

**Thank you everyone for reading and commenting. :) I think this chapter finishes up this story. I really enjoyed rewriting it. But mostly I enjoyed reading all of your thoughts and opinions and comments about the story. Thank you so so so much.**

* * *

 

 

"No!" Merle yelled, diving for Gareth, the bullet hitting him instead of Beth or Daryl.

As Merle yelled out in anger and in pain, his legs gave out, the air suddenly taken from his lungs. Another bullet shot through the air in Gareth's direction and shot him, dead in the chest.

Daryl dove for Merle as he fell. Catching him on his way down. He cradled his head in his lap and put his hand over the wound, blood pouring through his fingers.

Beth looked from Gareth, who lay obviously dead, his fixed stare aimed at the ceiling. His hand lay motionless next to the gun on the floor. She then looked from Merle and Daryl and then to Rick at the door. And Tara, the gun barrel still smoking from when she shot Gareth.

_Tara shot Gareth?_ Beth couldn't wrap her mind around it, didn't really have time to as Daryl's agonized voice brought her back to them.

"Merle, no!"

Beth shuffled over to where Merle lay motionless on the floor. Rick found an old towel and placed it on Merle's wound, trying to staunch the blood. It quickly turning from a dirty grey to bright crimson red.

Daryl didn't take his eyes off his brother. "Merel. Stay with me. Talk to me!"

Merle opened his grey eyes. "Is okay, baby brother. We both knew I wasn't gonna' make it to be an old man." Merle coughed, gasped for breath.

"Yes, you will. You will still be here years from now, drivin' me bat shit crazy." Daryl doubted his own words as the blood kept pouring out of Merle's body, leaving his face pale.

Merle smirked and then closed his eyes.

"No!" Daryl yelled at him, shaking him. "You stay awake. You are the most stubborn son of a bitch I know. Now you stay awake. Open your damn eyes, ya' hear me? You've gotta' fight. It's the Dixon way, remember? "

Merle squinted his eyes open and Beth could feel the relief course through Daryl's body.

"We need to call for help," she told Daryl, her pale porcelain skin already turning an array of colors from Gareth's assault.

"No, no cops." Even this close to death, Merle fought against the idea of the police being called.

"Don't be a dumbfuck." Daryl, still cradling his brother's head.

"I already called, heard the gunshots and thought it'd be a good idea." This from Rick, who pulled his own shirt up and over his head to add it to the blood soaked towel that seemed to do nothing to stop the outpouring of blood from Merle's chest.

"You son of a bitch," Merle weakly told Rick, a smile creaking from his pale lips. Then his eyes glazed and closed.

. . .

Watching Beth as she was boarded up and driven away in one ambulance while paramedics placed Merle into a second ambulance, was one of the hardest things Daryl's ever had to witness in his life. It left him feeling helpless and pissed off since they didn't allow him go with Beth. He stood outside the shack with a police detective, unable to focus too long on what he was saying.

"Now as far as I can tell it was self defense. And, well, there is no one to dispute it," the detective said, nodding to Gareth's body laid out on the cabin floor, now zipped up in a black bag. "His fingerprints were found in Ms. Greene's apartment. And," the detective looked at his notepad for confirmation, "a Shane Walsh attested to the fact that it was Gareth that attacked him earlier in the evening. Yep," he closed his notebook, "looks like a clean cut case of self defense. But just to be sure, stick around town in case we have another questions."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered shock that Shane was actually still alive. He nodded at the sheriff, "Yeah, I ain't goin' nowhere."

The detective nodded. "You might want to get that checked out." He said pointing to Daryl's right hand. It was swollen and bleeding; the knuckles looked pushed back and out of place.

"Uh huh." Daryl said, digging a smoke out from the pack in his breast pocket. Lit it as he watched the medical examiner and a police officer carried Gareth's body out to the hearse. Then Tara was taken away as well. Instead of an ambulance, though, she was escorted in the back of the police car, her injury only being a flesh wound on the top of the shoulder.

Everyone packed up and left, and Rick had went back to the get the truck and call Lori, Daryl was left standing alone under the darkness of the sky. He thought how it would be so much easier, so much safer to just no longer feel. To go back to the way he used to be and not let the world touch him. Part of him longed to be hollow inside, empty so he couldn't feel the pain and agony of almost losing Beth and be numb to the fact he still might lose his only brother. Merle was a prick, he'd be the first to admit it, but he still raised him after their mama died when their dad was too much of a shit to do much of anything, Merle stepped up. He wasn't perfect and even though Merle came and went throughout Daryl's life, he was the one constant. The one person, before Beth, that had his back.

He knew he couldn't be empty, though, and still have Beth or Madalyn. Now that the void he felt for so many years was filled by them, he didn't really want to go back. Underneath the darkness that surrounded him the sun was beginning to rise on a new day. And he had to get back to the cabin, he wanted to be there when Madalyn woke up. And then he had to get to the hospital to get his hand fixed up and to see about Beth and Merle.

Never an optimist, he always considered himself a realist. He was seldom hurt and occasionally surprised. As he watched the sun filter through the trees he was touched by hope, rather than the usual disgruntlement that naturally ran through his body. Today was a new day, a better day, he had to believe that. Didn't have a choice.

He had to believe Beth would heal and Merle would live.

. . .

When he and Rick returned to the cabin Madalyn was asleep in her crib. Lori, who had slept fitfully in Beth's bed, was fixing a pot of coffee and wordlessly handed him a cup.

"Thanks."

"Rick filled me in on what happened. I'm so sorry Daryl."

They hardly knew each other. Other than the occasional dinner, they didn't talk much just the two of them. Still, he appreciated her words. And the coffee. He nodded his head in response and took a long drink of the hot coffee, welcoming the burn as it scalded his tongue and throat on the way down.

"Madalyn slept through the night. I think I just heard her stirring 'round if you want me to get her up."

"Na', thanks but I got it."

Daryl went to her bedroom, setting the cup on the dresser, he peered over Madalyn's crib. Her eyes heavy, much like her mother's when she had just woke up, her hair a mess of fuzz and curls. She looked up at him curiously. He thought she might cry because Beth wasn't there. Instead she reached her arms out to him. He picked her up and she snuggled into him with complete trust, putting her arms around his neck. He nuzzled into her soft hair. She smelled exactly like Beth. Fresh, like spring honey. Then Madalyn pulled back, looking at him in her thoughtful soul reading way and spoke.

"Daddy."

"Daddy?" Her words combined with the emotion of the day made his eyes burn with tears. He felt full of love for this little girl that trusted in him completely, unquestionably. Unable to control his emotions any longer after the roller coaster of a night he'd just had he sat on Beth's bed holding Madalyn close, he finally allowed the tears to fall silently down his face.

After a moment, he swallowed hard, trying desperately to get his emotions under control. "I love you Maddie May. And you're right, I am your daddy."

This was Beth's child, and now, as far as he was concerned, she was his also.

. . .

After getting Madalyn ready for the day and phoning Maggie, who was none too happy to hear what had gone down the night before, he waited for her to come down to help out with Madalyn. Though Lori had offered to stay, Daryl refused, knowing she had her own family to tend to, he insisted she go home. Between himself and Maggie and Patricia they would be able to take turns watching Madalyn and visiting Beth in the hospital.

Later that day Daryl sat in one of the most uncomfortable plastic chairs known to man at Beth's bedside at the hospital. She was sleeping, having been so distraught when they brought her in they had to sedate her. She had been upset about Merle, about Tara's betrayal, about having to shoot Tara, though she deserved it. And Gareth was dead? Actually dead? She couldn't fathom the idea. Wondering aloud when her life became akin to a Clint Eastwood movie. Her blood pressure was sky high, combined with her injuries they gave her a shot and she was out in five minutes flat. Or so the nurse told him. She had yet to wake up from that. That was hours ago.

Watching her breath steadily, the slow rise and fall of her chest, the bruises that were turning an ugly purple marring her perfect skin, guilt pricked at Daryl. He knew he made the right decision by going home to Madalyn and waiting for Maggie to get to the house, but he wished he could of also been there with Beth when they brought her in.

According to the doctors, she sustained a number of contusions and cuts and bruises throughout her body, including four broken ribs and internal bruising. The doctors said she would be just fine, she just needed time to heal. For that Daryl was grateful. Yet, seeing her in such a bad way broke his heart. Made him wish Gareth was still alive just so he could kill him himself.

Merle wasn't quite as lucky as Beth. The bullet that Gareth shot him with entered his left lung, collapsing it, then it bounced around a bit, missed his heart by millimeters before exiting out his back in between his shoulder blades. He was currently in his third hour of surgery. Outcome unknown.

Daryl held Beth's hand, willing her to wake up. His own hand broken from the beating he gave Gareth was bandaged. He refused to take the time to let them cast it, promising he would go back to the ER once he visited Beth. The doctor advised against that, but Daryl told that doctor exactly what he thought of him and his advisement. He had to see Beth first.

"You've gotta' wake up Beth. You're my world. You and Madalyn. I can't wait any longer to start our life together." He paused as emotion began to surface again, threatening to come out in the form of tears.

Clearing his throat, he spoke again. "Madalyn actually spoke today. An actual word. Clear as day." His throat constricted, tears burned the back of his eyes, his nose tickled. Daryl brought Beth's hand up, leaning his brow onto it, as if in prayer.

Maybe he was praying, Beth wasn't sure as she opened her eyes and saw his head lowered to her hand.

"What word did she say?" Beth asked, her throat dry, he voice hoarse.

Daryl lifted his head from her hand to see her blue eyes staring at him. Tired and groggy and bruised, but open and awake.

"Beth, you're...you're awake," he stated the obvious. He felt he had to say it outloud, just to be sure it was real.

Smiling, he let her pull her hand away to run her fingers over his bruised cheek. "What'd she say?"

"She called me daddy. Daddy. Can you believe that?"

Beth shrugged, the brief movement of her shoulders causing her pain, "That is what you are. Her Daddy." For Beth, that was fact.

Daryl rose from the uncomfortable chair and placed a kiss, ever so lightly, on her split lip.

"I love you Beth."He said the words with such sureness and conviction. With such earnestness that she understood the depth of his feelings for her. "I..." he began but the words died on his lips, having nothing more than _I love you_  to say.

Beth held up her hand to stop him. "I know Daryl. I know. Come here." She patted the bed with her hand. Gently, he laid down next to her on the hospital bed. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and held her in silence. Holding her until she fell back to sleep.

. . .

Beth was not a good patient. Anxious to get back home to Madalyn and back to her life and school and work, she was terribly impatient and they finally did let her go home after three days in the hospital. Not because she was necessarily healed, but because she all but demanded it. So, once she was stable enough, back home she went.

She had never been away from Madalyn for more than a night, only when she had to work the late shift at the diner and Madalyn would stay at Patricia's. Figuring bringing Madalyn to the hospital would upset the both of them more than do any good, they were reunited at the cabin. 

Daryl helped Beth up the cabin porch steps and into the house. Maggie was at the cabin waiting on Beth's arrival. Madalyn sat on the floor, playing with her favorite blocks, and when she she looked up to see Beth, she cocked her head to the side and then her eyes grew large.

"Mama!" She said in an astonished way, as if to say _just where have you been?_ Madalyn scrambled to her feet and ran full force at her mother. And though it cost her pain, Beth dropped to her knees and encircled her daughter in her arms, not even trying to hide the tears that fell down her face.

"I missed you so much baby girl."

After a moment Madalyn pulled back and clapped her little hands together, doing a little dance. Pointing her chubby finger to Daryl, she said, "Daddy!"

Daryl and Beth shared a look over Madalyn's head. A look so potent even Maggie felt it clear across the room. After another quick snuggle, nuzzling into Beth's shoulder, Madalyn was off and running to Daryl clinging to his leg. He bent, grasping her by the ribs, he flipped her upside down and up into his good arm. Squealing with delight, Madalyn hugged him tight around his neck.

Beth laughed, not knowing what to make of Daryl getting a better welcome home than Beth. And he had been with her for last three days whereas Beth hadn't. It really did make her happy that he and Madalyn had such a bond already. Wiping the tears from her face, Daryl set Madalyn down and helped Beth up from the floor and over to the sofa. Maggie was waiting her turn, and sat next to the Beth wrapping her arms gingerly around her.

"You scared us," she said, her voice watery.

"Scared myself," Beth said in return.

"It won't happen again," Daryl interjected. "Not while I'm around anyway."

If Beth had to, she could do it on her own. Finish nursing school, raise Madalyn. And do a great job of it. You do what you have to do, afterall. Now, though, the knowledge that she doesn't _have to_ do it on her own any longer lifted a weight off her shoulders she had carried the majority of your life. Maggie would of helped anyway she could've, Patricia too. But having their help on the periphery of her life was completely different than having Daryl by her side - to be there always and no matter what. She felt maybe her life would amount to more than just existing.

. . .

Over the next couple of weeks Daryl received a crash course in parenting an almost two year old. Beth loved Maggie dearly, but insisted she go back home. She was getting pretty far into her pregnancy and needed to be home, nesting, getting ready for the baby and such. Mostly, Beth wanted her life to get back to normal. Well, a new normal anyway. While Daryl worked less hours than normal, Patricia came over and took care of not only Madalyn but Beth too. She was under strict doctor's orders to be still until her ribs healed. Though it killed her, she laid low and allowed her body to heal itself. When Daryl got home from work, he cooked for her and Madalyn. And not quick processed food, actual food that Beth approved of. He also became very forceful when it came to Beth eating as well. Even going as far as to occasionally make a less than healthy dessert.

On one such occasion, after Madalyn was in bed for the night, Daryl came from the kitchen with a piece of chocolate cake covering the whole circumference of the dessert plate.

"Daryl, I can't eat all this." Beth said of the huge piece of chocolate cake. He sat next to her with the plate of chocolate cake, he cut a piece with the fork and fed it to her.

"And, I can feed myself!"

Beth was losing patience with this laying around business. It killed her to lay in bed in her bedroom away from everyone, so Daryl compromised by letting her set up camp on the couch during the day and evening hours. Thankfully all the lying around was paying off as she was getting stronger every day, and she felt more than ready to reconvene her life. She was able to do most of her school work at home, so she wasn't getting behind at least. And Abraham was more than gracious giving her all the time off she needed. And her house cleaning jobs, well, she had to let them go. There was no way she would be able to do that kind of physical work for a long time.

"I know. But you, missy," he teased, "really need to try this cake. I outdid myself this time," he spoke around a mouthful of cake.

No matter how hard she tried, she never could stay annoyed with Daryl. He sat the half eaten cake on the coffee table and slowly, gingerly climbed his way up Beth's reclined body. He braced an elbow to each side. "So, you still gonna' marry me?"

They hadn't talked about getting married since before the night at the shack. Too much had happened and life was busy, it was never the right time. Daryl wasn't known for beating around the bush, so Beth couldn't say she was surprised when he brought the subject up out of the blue.

"Do ya' still want to?" Beth asked, always waiting for the bottom to drop out.

"Course I do. I love ya'."

* * *

***3 months later***

Beth looked like a vision in white as she walked down the makeshift aisle that lay in between two rows of chairs set up on the lawn in the backyard of the cabin. She took Daryl's breath away. Her a-line spaghetti strap dress showed off the smooth skin of her shoulders. It was off-white in color, not a traditional wedding dress but it fit her and their wedding perfectly. It hugged her bodice to her waist where the fabric draped down to her feet, which were bare. She wore her hair long and wavy down her back and carried a spray of wildflowers similar to the bouquet of Daryl picked for her that day a lifetime ago.

Daryl, handsome in a clean crisp white button down shirt, a Black-Eyed Susan boutonniere pinned to his right breast pocket. He did not wear a tie. His new Levi's hugged his hips accentuating his long lean legs. Madalyn was perfect in her white dress with floor length tutu sparkling with sequins. She grasped the flower basket in her little hands, standing next to Maggie on the right of the officiant. Newborn baby Gage lay sleeping in Glenn's arms in the first of the three rows. Patricia sat next to him, beaming with pride.

Rick walked Beth down the aisle, his arm entwined with hers, looking dapper in a shirt similar to Daryl's only it was dark green, almost grey in color. He was touched when Beth asked if he would walk her down the aisle. She knew she could walk herself but Rick seemed to fit the part and happily agreed to the task.

Wanting to savor every moment, surrounded by their friends and family they loved the most she wanted to commit every moment, every detail, to memory. When she and Rick reached the end of the aisle Rick kissed her on the cheek and placed her hand in Daryl's, giving him a wink before taking his place next to Lori and Carl. Before Beth went to stand by her soon-to-be husband she took two steps to the right and placed a kiss on Merle's cheek. If she didn't know better she would say he blushed as he looked down at his feet, smiling.

Merle was released from the hospital only a few weeks before. He was still weak and slow moving, his middle bandaged but he insisted he was up to play the part of Daryl's best man. He had changed in the months since he was shot. He was calmer, less hot-tempered. Still very opinionated and flirted mercilessly with the nurses at the hospital but his demeanor was altered for the better. Beth and Daryl were overjoyed he wanted to be in the wedding and postponed it until he was able to leave the hospital.

Beth took her place to the left of Daryl, facing the pastor, listening intently because these were words she took seriously. There was comfort in knowing they were the same words thousands, even millions, had spoken before her. And as she repeated her part, and listened to Daryl say his part, it hit her. In life you have to have pain in order to appreciate the pleasure. You have to experience the bad in order to have the good. Some lessons had to be taught through pain. She had gone through the pain and come out the other side the person she is today. Strong. Resilient. And totally in love with the man next to her.

When the pastor said those final words, Daryl carefully placed his arms around her waist, pulling her up to him. Standing on her toes she lifted her face to him and their lips met for the first time as husband and wife. Everyone cheered and Glenn let out a cat call whistle. Madalyn escaped Maggie's hand and ran to Daryl who swung her up on his hip and the three of them walked back down the aisle together, as a family.

. . .

Later, after the wedding was over and the small reception was cleaned up. When the cake was cut and the trash was thrown out and the tables were put away Beth stood at the kitchen counter, staring out the window above the sink. It was dark but the harvest moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky. Thousands of stars sparkled in the black sky. Her gaze fell to the new wedding band on her finger. Such a short time ago Beth had resigned her life to one of aloneness. And she was fine with that. She knew she could raise Madalyn on her own, but now, she took solace in knowing she didn't have to do it alone. She had Maggie back. Along with Glenn and baby Gage. She had Patricia of course. And now she had Daryl. Her husband.

Daryl coming in from outside smelling faintly of sweet tobacco, came up behind her putting his arms around her. She leaned into him, closing her eyes. Not quite wanting to take off her wedding dress yet, the air had become cool so she slid one of Daryl's old flannels on over the wedding gown.

"You were the most beautiful bride in all of Georgia today." 

She turned putting her arms around his neck. "And you were very handsome." He still wore his clothes from the wedding but his shirt was no longer tucked in and the top three buttons were unbuttoned, his sleeves were rolled up showing off his thick forearms.

"So. Now what?" Beth asked a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Well Mrs. Dixon." Beth momentarily melted when he called her by her new last name. "Come on," he said, pulling her by her hand toward the door.

She hesitated, "Hey, where are we goin'..."

He pulled her through the door, down the steps towards the old barn that stood to the back of the property near the woods.

"Daryl. Why are we goin' to the barn?"

He stopped at the door, facing her, keeping her hand in his. His new brushed pipe tungsten wedding band was cool and heavy on his finger. "I know you didn't want to go away for a honeymoon after everything that's happened."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be away from Madalyn and we can't leave Merle anyway…" Merle had been staying with them since he got home from the hospital. He wasn't strong enough to be alone yet and he didn't have his own place so that left the cabin. Merle slept in Beth's room and Beth and Madalyn slept in Daryl's room. That left Daryl on the couch. They wouldn't have it any other way but, regrettably, that left very little alone time.

Beth was also struggling leaving Madalyn even with those she trusted the most. She had terrible nightmares. Sometimes she was back in the shack, Gareth beating her again. Only this time Daryl and Merle didn't make it to her in time and Gareth ended up beating her to death. Or, she would dream that Gareth shot her that night and took off with Madalyn instead. She would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, panic racing through her veins and rush to Madalyn's crib. Of course Beth would find her sound asleep, every time. So a traditional honeymoon was out of the question.

"No, it's fine. I like being home best anyway," Daryl reassured. "But the idea of keeping my hands off of you for one more night is more than I can bear." He raised his hand to cup her chin, his calloused thumb caressing the skin on her neck, feeling her heartbeat faster, he brought his lips to hers. A chaste kiss that held so much anticipation in what was to come, left her lips vibrating.

Turning from her, he opened the barn doors. It was a normal barn, with a loft and hay stacked high in the back. The sweet smell of hay intermingled with the candles that sat on various surfaces. There must have been a hundred of them. Twinkle lights hung from the rafters and along the loft sending a glow in the dusty air. A thick flannel blanket laid in the middle of the hay bales, another bouquet of flowers, looking similar to Maggie's that she carried in the wedding, lay in the middle. A dark green silk ribbon tied around the stems.

"Daryl." Beth gasped. "It's beautiful." She turned to face him. "Is this what you've been outside doing the last hour?"

He nodded, holding back his smile. "You like it?"

"I love it."

"I was little worried you wouldn't. You know, our first time together as husband and wife, being in a barn."

"Its perfect….magical." She said, unable to think of a better word to describe the little world he created for them. "I'd rather be here than any fancy hotel."

Surprising her he swooped her up into his arms, and carried her to the blanket. She squealed and rested her head on his shoulder. He gently laid her onto the blanket, kissing her breathlessly. He stood to close the barn doors and reaching behind one of the hay bales that surrounded their blanket he placed the baby monitor on the ground so they could hear if Madalyn woke up. Beth smiled. He'd thought of everything.

Suddenly nervous she sat on the blanket, waiting for him to make the next move. He kneeled in front of her and she rose to meet him, lifting her lips to his.

"I want you," he mumbled into her mouth. They hadn't been together since before everything happened. Wild horses couldn't keep him away from Beth this night.

She moaned in protest when he pulled back. "I mean it Beth. From the first day I saw you. I knew I wanted this."

"You can have me now." Her hands gliding from his shoulders to unbutton his shirt, she felt his muscles tighten under her fingers as he slid it off his shoulders. He slid his hands up to her shoulders and did the same with the flannel shirt she wore, his fingers brushing over the thin straps of the wedding dress. Unable to wait any longer, needing to see her, all of her, he reached for the hem of the dress lifting it above her head. He looked at her; she was so slight, so beautiful, with her milky-white porcelain skin. His heart hurt for the light bruises that still darkened her skin. She was an angel with her waves of blonde hair instead of a halo.

"You're beautiful,"  he whispered, his lips twitched into a smile. He had her in his arms before she could blink, his mouth wasn't gentle but she did not feel afraid. As the kiss deepened, the intimacy grew between them. Every thought left her mind. There was no one else but the two of them. In the glow of the candle and twinkles lights, it was quiet except for the far off sound of the grasshoppers and bull frogs down at the river. They were finally alone. And they would know each other as husband and wife.

Her heart thudded against his bare chest adding an element of excitement. He ran his hands over her soft smooth skin. Feeling impatient he pushed her onto her back, and nipped his teeth onto her lip as his hands moved lower. Love from her, love from him, mixing together into a mind-numbing passion.

She stroked her hands over his shoulders down his back feeling his muscle, the power he had. Wondering how anyone with such strength could be so gentle and loving. His lips brushed over hers, teasing, inviting. Her hands drifted down to the snap of his jeans, without hesitation she unbuttoned and unzipped them, pushing them down his hips. She felt cold and vulnerable when he lifted his body from hers to slip his jeans and boxers down his legs, tossing them to the side. Covering her back up with his own body he kissed her on the throat, nibbling her skin, sending goosebumps down her body. She could only whisper his name as he continued his kisses over her shoulder and down the curve of her breasts, cupping it with his hand. Sucking her nipple to a taunt point. Her hands went straight for his cock, fisting him in her hand, she began to pump. Daryl groaned and placed his brow to hers, looking down. Seeing her small delicate hand do that to him turned him on about as much as the act itself. 

At first Daryl had been nervous. Scared, if he were being completely honest. Things had changed, of course they had. But he was worried that they might of changed too much. Maybe they'd gone to far to come back. As time went on, as her lips and hands did amazing things, he felt her give herself over to him totally, completely. Yes, things had changed. They had changed for the better.

He reached behind her, unhooking her bra, flinging it to the side with his jeans. He kissed her down her middle, hands on her hips he pulled down her panties, tossing them aside as well. Making his way back up to her mouth, he looked down at her.

"I love you Beth."

"I know," she said smiling. Her neck arching as he slid into her. Her moaned merged with his. Soft flesh pressed against hard flesh as they moved together. As husband and wife. She was everything. Everything he'd ever wanted and didn't know he needed. It was like a dream now. All sensation and feeling mixed with the hazy light. Shudders of pleasure rippling through each of them. His face pressed against her throat he could smell her fragrance mixed with the scent of earth and hay. He would die remembering that combination.

His mouth sought hers, wordlessly reassuring her it was okay. That she was safe. Her lips. Her skin. Her scent. Her hair. It fanned out around her on the dark blue blanket, and unable to help himself he buried his face in it, relishing its honeyed scent. And he moaned her name.

A pleasure so deep it coursed through her and she began to move faster against him. Her hands were in his hair, dragging his mouth back to hers so that she could sink into those hot, wet kisses. Her breath became frenzied and hurried, just as frenzied as his. She dug her nails into his back as her body stiffened, froze then melted beneath his. Finally then, he let himself go.

Afterward, they lay together under a light blanket. Her back to his front, his arms protectively around her body.

"So does this mean we're trying to have a baby?" Daryl asked out of the blue, surprising her.

She angled her head back, looking at him. "What?"

"Does this mean we are tryin' to get you pregnant?"

"Boy, you sure know how to shock me with your outta-the-blue questions."

"Well we didn't use any condoms, as far as I know you're not on the pill. I may not be very smart but I do know how baby makin' works."

Beth giggled. "I guess we are then."

Daryl nuzzled into her neck, inching his body closer to hers. His hand that was on her hip, slid down protectively over her lower belly, "I was hoping you'd say that."

She rolled over, facing him, placing light kisses on the lips, his stubbled cheek, his chin.

His eyes became serious, like they did when he wanted to tell her something.

"What? What is it?" She asked, suddenly worried.

"I wanted to tell you something, but not in front of everyone."

Beth nodded her understanding waiting for whatever it was he had to say.

"What's that saying? What comes easy, won't last and what lasts won't come easy? Yea, that's it. That's how I feel about us, about our marriage. I will fight for you, Beth. I will fight for us always. I can't promise you a perfect life. Bad things will happen, hell, we've already had our fair share, but I promise to stand by you and together we'll make it through. We've been through hell. But I think we are stronger for it. Whatever happened in your past and in mine, I'd like to say it doesn't matter but it does. It's made us who we are today. This ain't no fairy tale. This is real life. And I wouldn't want to walk through it with anyone else but you."

Beth closed her eyes, savoring his words."Daryl, you make me melt." At that moment she was able to leave the pieces of her past behind her, it was easier to feel Daryl's love without them. He calmed her spirit and quieted her mind with a love so fierce that her past, as well as his, just melted away. What mattered was this, the love they had for one another. What mattered was today and today was a better day.


End file.
